First Pictures from Spitzer Infrared Telescope

[Sir Ulli]

The Spitzer Space Telescope (formerly SIRTF, the Space Infrared Telescope Facility) was launched into space by a Delta rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida on 25 August 2003. During its 2.5-year mission, Spitzer will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space between wavelengths of 3 and 180 microns (1 micron is one-millionth of a meter). Most of this infrared radiation is blocked by the Earth's atmosphere and cannot be observed from the ground.

Consisting of a 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically-cooled science instruments, Spitzer is the largest infrared telescope ever launched into space. Its highly sensitive instruments give us a unique view of the Universe and allow us to peer into regions of space which are hidden from optical telescopes. Many areas of space are filled with vast, dense clouds of gas and dust which block our view. Infrared light, however can penetrate these clouds, allowing us to peer into regions of star formation, the centers of galaxies, and into newly forming planetary systems. Infrared also brings us information about the cooler objects in space, such as smaller stars which are too dim to be detected by their visible light, extrasolar planets, and giant molecular clouds. Also, many molecules in space, including organic molecules, have their unique signatures in the infrared.

The Spitzer telescope is a lightweight reflector of Ritchey-Chrétien design. It weighs less than 50 kg and is designed to operate at an extremely low temperature. The telescope has an 85 cm diameter aperture. All of its parts, except for the mirror supports, are made of light-weight beryllium. Beryllium is a very strong material which works well in the construction of infrared space telescopes because it has a low heat capacity at very low temperatures. The telescope is attached to the top of the vapor-cooled cryostat vacuum shell, which keeps the science instruments very cold.

The design philosophy of the telescope assembly is based on the following guidelines:

* Maximize the use of materials with a very high stiffness/density ratio, high thermal conductivity, and low cryogenic specific heat.
* Build the entire telescope of the same material to prevent thermal expansion mismatch complications, and to make the telescope assembly as dimensionally stable as possible.
* Select a configuration that minimizes the size of the major elements of the telescope assembly.
* Strive for the simplest possible design to minimize the number of parts, thereby reducing the time and cost for design, fabrication, and integration.

Homepage

Spitzer Telescope Gallery

and dont miss this, Hit me, and turn the Musik on, this is VERY impressive.

Sir Ulli

 

[gusgizmo]

thats pretty awesome. between that, hubble, and chandra, we have quite a few spectra covered in space. not much we cant see anymore. now we just need a really good space radio telescope to fuel our crunchers.

 

[hallen]

Four Spitzer pictures were published in our Friday newspaper and they are breathtaking. We are a talented species inhabiting this tiny planet. Let's hope for peace so that we can continue to turn our eyes outward into this immense universe.

All probes to MARS GO!!

Harvey

 

[gusgizmo]

yes, i agree that we need to go to mars. we need something to top going to the moon. maybe theyll find ET up there in the form of some algae, or something like that. or not, but it would be a great mission.

 

[Needitcooler]

Mars is great, but I really want the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter to get off the ground. Europa and Callisto are very very promising.