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Also, many molecules in space, including organic molecules, have their unique signatures in the infrared. 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. Infrared light, however can penetrate these clouds, allowing us to peer into regions of star formation, the centres of galaxies and into newly forming planetary systems. Many areas of space are filled with vast, dense clouds of gas and dust which block our view. Spitzer’s 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. In addition, the absence of heat input from the Earth provides a stable thermal environment and allows the exterior of the telescope to reach a low temperature via radiative cooling. It permits uninterrupted viewing of a large portion of the sky without the need for Earth-avoidance manoeuvres. The resulting orbit has Spitzer trailing the Earth in its orbit around the Sun. To reach this orbit, the spacecraft was launched on a Delta 7920 launch vehicle with slightly greater than terrestrial escape velocity. Most of this infrared radiation is blocked by the Earth’s atmosphere and cannot be observed from the ground.Īn important feature of the Spitzer mission is the adoption of a solar orbit. Jim Houck of Cornell.ĭuring its 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).
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Spitzer’s infrared spectrograph was built by Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. Science operations are conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at Caltech. The Spitzer Space Telescope is a NASA mission managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It was launched by a Delta rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida on 25 August 2003 and is still currently in operation. Spitzer formerly called SIRTF (Space Infrared Telescope Facility) was the fourth and final element in NASA’s Great Observatories Program. The Spitzer Space Telescope is a space-based infrared telescope studying objects ranging from our Solar System to the distant reaches of the Universe.