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Infrared Telescopes

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Title: Infrared Telescopes


1
Infrared Telescopes
  • Andrea, Scott, and Martín

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2
Infraredwait what?!?!?
  • Infrared is a certain region in the light
    spectrum
  • Ranges from .7µ to 1000µ or .1mm
  • Broken into near, mid, and far infrared
  • One step up on the light spectrum from visible
    light
  • Measure of heat

3
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

4
History of Infrared
  • 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

5
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
6
Another Problemo
  • Everything in the universe above absolute zero
    radiates heat (infrared)
  • This means the heat from the telescope may
    interfere with data
  • Everything is cooled to almost absolute 0

7
Why Do We Need Infrared Telescopes?
  • Infrared telescopes allow astronomers to gain
    information about regions in space that might
    otherwise remain invisible.

http//coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_classroo
m/ir_tutorial/psc_allsky.html
8
These regions include
  • Cool states of matter
  • Regions obscured by clouds of dust or gas
    particles

http//coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_classroo
m/ir_tutorial/animation.html
9
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

http//www.spitzer.caltech.edu/picturegallery/inde
x.shtml
10
  • Stars
  • Infrared galaxies
  • Clouds of particles around stars
  • Nebulae
  • Interstellar molecules
  • Brown dwarfs
  • Planets

http//www.iras.ucalgary.ca/volk/crab_infrared_lg
.gif
http//swtrekking.com/photo_gallery/images/stars.j
pg
http//www.astr.tohoku.ac.jp/tohru/AGgroup/arp220
image.jpg
http//map.gsfc.nasa.gov/ContentMedia/M16WF2.jpg
11
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.

12
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.

http//coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_classroo
m/cosmic_reference/redshift.html
13
  • To gain a greater knowledge about bodies of
    matter in space, we need information about all of
    the different forms of radiation that they emit.

14
SOFIA
  • Airborne Observatory
  • Reduces Atmospheric Interference
  • Will begin observing in 2005

15
SOFIA
  • 747SP Aircraft
  • 2.5 meter reflector
  • Largest telescope put in an aircraft

16
UKIRT
  • Earth-based
  • Largest infrared telescope
  • Located on Mauna Kea in Hawaii
  • 3.8 meter reflector
  • A lot of atmospheric interference

17
Spitzer Space Telescope
  • Largest infrared telescope in space
  • No atmospheric interference
  • .85 m reflector
  • Cryogenically cooled so not to interfere with
    signals

18
Spitzers Cryostat
  • Infrared is mostly heat waves, Spitzer is cool so
    its own heat does not interfere with signals
  • 1.4 degrees kelvin

19
Spitzer Images
20
Bibliography
  • http//www.sofia.arc.nasa.gov/Sofia/sofia.html
  • http//www.spitzer.caltech.edu/about/index.shtml
  • http//www.jach.hawaii.edu/JACpublic/UKIRT/home.ht
    ml
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