Millimeter Anisotropy eXperiment IMaging Array

The Millimeter Anisotropy eXperiment IMaging Array is a balloon-borne radio telescope based in Texas that observes the cosmic microwave background radiation. It uses sixteen bolometric detectors operating at frequencies of 150, 240, and 410 GHz, along with two cameras for orientation measurements during flight.

The experiment conducted two major flights from a scientific balloon facility in Texas during 1998 and 1999, reaching altitudes near 40,000 meters (130,000 feet). These missions gathered extensive data about cosmic radiation patterns across northern sky regions.

Scientists from multiple research institutions collaborate through MAXIMA to advance understanding of cosmic background radiation and early universe formation.

This experiment operated as a balloon-borne mission launched from the ground rather than a fixed site, so there is no permanent location to visit. The observation data and research outcomes are available through scientific archives for those interested in the findings.

This telescope's data consisted of measurements detecting tiny temperature variations in the earliest universe's radiation, at 10 arcminute resolution. The precision of these readings revealed details about cosmic structure that had never been observed with such clarity before.