Infrared Telescopes

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Infrared Telescopes

• Andrea, Scott, and Martín

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powerpoints
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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

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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

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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

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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
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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

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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
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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
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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
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• 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
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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.

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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
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• 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.

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SOFIA

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

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SOFIA

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

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UKIRT

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

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Spitzer Space Telescope

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

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Spitzers Cryostat

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

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Spitzer Images
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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