Inside Science
/
Article

The Spitzer Space Telescope Signs Off

JAN 31, 2020
We honor the spacecraft’s 16-year journey with five beautiful images from the telescope.
The Spitzer Space Telescope Signs Off lead image

The Spitzer Space Telescope Signs Off lead image

(Inside Science) -- The telescope that discovered the largest ring of Saturn , detected the first direct evidence of an exoplanet , and imaged remnants of the oldest documented supernova is retiring after 16 years hard at work. NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope was launched in August 2003 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. It detects infrared light, which is invisible to the human eye, and such vision allows it to peer through dense dust and gas to see hidden realms of the cosmos.

Spitzer’s capabilities and mission have evolved over the years. In 2009, it ran out of liquid helium to cool its telescope assembly, but continued to operate in a “warm phase,” (which was still pretty cold compared to Earth-based telescopes.) The spacecraft is drifting slowly away from the Earth, making it increasingly difficult to operate. NASA gave the spacecraft its final shut-off commands on Jan. 30.

Here we have compiled five of our favorite images that Spitzer took during its 16-year journey, selected for their aesthetic qualities.

Introduction by: Catherine Meyers, Editor

More Science News
/
Press Release
/
Article
A drug delivery platform based on peptide coacervate microdroplets offers an avenue for synergistic cancer therapy.
/
Article
Double-column spectrometer remedies traditional shortcomings to drastically improve counting efficiency and resolution
/
Article
Cost-effective and scalable engineered nanoscale interfaces suppress charge transport.
/
Article
Accidental discovery could enable significant advances in organic optoelectronic devices.