But what specifically is it? Just random stuff in deep space between galaxies? I’d have thought most of the space between galaxies is mostly truly empty.
I worked on the BICEP Array telescope at the south Pole - the light we are observing is actually extremely low energy and we can't see it unless our detectors are colder than the light source we are looking at (which is about 2.7K). We cool our detectors to 0.3K!
Edit - it is as good as it gets on earth and way cheaper than a satellite! Other benefits are rapid upgrades and repairs with newer technology. A satellite, by the time it is deployed, is already pretty old! But the South Pole still isn't cheap!
Cryogenically cooling helps, but since you can't hit absolute zero you can't entirely eliminate it.