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4. Infrared
Infrared Astronomy is the detection and study of the infrared radiation, or heat energy, emitted by objects in the universe. All astronomical objects have heat, so all objects emit infrared (IR) radiation. This makes IR astronomy the study of just about everything in the universe.
To observe in IR, astronomers can use the same telescopes they use for optical astronomy, but with different filters and receivers that are fine-tuned to the IR part of the spectrum. Because it is relatively easy to change the telescope over to this type of set-up, a large number of observatories have an IR receiver or spectrograph which can be used.[1]
Photo: The Spitzer Space Telescope
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Featured News
Herschel views deep-space pearls on a cosmic...
ESA (Oct. 2, 2009) –Herschel has delivered spectacular vistas of cold gas clouds lying near the plane of the Milky Way, revealing intense, unexpected activity. The dark, cool... More »
Dusty Gobules
Last Updated on 2009-11-07 at 11:14
New stars tend to form with disks of gas and dust around them. After a few hundred thousand years or so, the intense ultraviolet radiation from the most massive of these stars has... More »
Herschel views deep-space pearls on a cosmic string
Last Updated on 2009-10-02 at 12:50
ESA (Oct. 2, 2009) –Herschel has delivered spectacular vistas of cold gas clouds lying near the plane of the Milky Way, revealing intense, unexpected activity. The dark, cool... More »
WISE
Last Updated on 2009-10-01 at 16:13
WISE is a NASA-funded Explorer mission that will provide a vast storehouse of knowledge about the solar system, the Milky Way, and the Universe. Among the objects WISE will study... More »
Herschel
Last Updated on 2009-10-01 at 15:52
The Herschel Space Observatory will be the largest ever infrared space observatory. Equipped with a 3.5 metre diameter reflecting telescope and instruments cooled to close to... More »
Astro-F
Last Updated on 2009-09-29 at 16:49
ASTRO-F, currently under development, will be Japan's first infrared-ray astronomical satellite to perform "survey observation," an all-sky survey at infrared wavelengths,... More »
United Kingdom Infra-Red Telescope (UKIRT) Telescope -...
Last Updated on 2009-08-26 at 22:58
The 3.8m United Kingdom InfraRed Telescope (UKIRT) is the largest telescope in the world dedicated solely to observations at infrared wavelengths between 1 micron and 30... More »
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