Infrared Telescopes

B Richa Sharma [10808656]

Infraredwhat?!?!?
Infrared is a certain region in the light spectrum Ranges from .7 to 1000 or .1mm Broken into near, mid, and far infrared One step up on the light spectrum from visible light Measure of heat

Infrared Telescopes.
Infrared telescopes work much like visible light telescopes. Light hits parabolic mirror. Light is sent to focal point. Light is recorded by computer and translated into visible light.

History of Infrared Telescopes

Thirty years ago images were created by crude temperature readings and simple recording devices. In 1980s the military dedicated the first large sum of money towards infrared advancement (high background infrared). Recently scientists have changed the technology to focus on lower background heat and high sensitivity to fit the applications needed for astronomy.

Problems with Infrared

99% of infrared rays are absorbed by water in our atmosphere The use of airplanes, weather balloons, and space bound telescopes help to solve these problems

Infrared

Another Problems
Everything in the universe above absolute zero radiates heat (infrared) This means the heat from the telescope may interfere with data.

Why Do We Need Infrared Telescopes?

Infrared telescopes allow astronomers to gain information about regions in space that might otherwise remain invisible.

The Early Universe

The Universe is constantly expanding Because of this, most of the radiation emitted from distant stars is in the infrared spectrum. Our views of these distant bodies of matter in space actually show us how they looked a long, long time ago.

Invisible Regions of Universe

Cool states of matter Regions obscured by clouds of dust or gas particles

Cool States of Matter

Most solid bodies in space vary in temperature from 3 Kelvins to 1500 Kelvin's. This means that extremely cool objects undetectable to the human eye can be studied using infrared telescopes. These can include

 Stars Infrared galaxies Clouds of particles around stars Nebulae Interstellar molecules Brown dwarfs Planets

Clouds of Dust and Gas

Some bodies of matter in space are hidden behind huge clouds of dust particles or gas.
Infrared telescopes allow scientists to view these regions much more easily

These include the centers of galaxies and clouds containing forming stars and planets.

SOFIA
Airborne Observatory Reduces Atmospheric Interference Began observation in 2005.

SOFIA
2.5 meter reflector Largest telescope put in an aircraft 747SP Aircraft

UKIRT
Earth-based Largest infrared telescope Located on Mauna Kea in Hawaii 3.8 meter reflector A lot of atmospheric interference

Spitzer Space Telescope

Largest infrared telescope in space No atmospheric interference .85 m reflector Cryogenically cooled so not to interfere with signals

Spitzers Cryostat
Infrared is mostly heat waves, Spitzer is cool so its own heat does not interfere with signals 1.4 degrees kelvin

Spitzer Images