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Between the heavens and Earth, there is the stratosphere. It's that upper layer of the atmosphere that will be the workplace for 747-based airborne observatory called SOFIA, which made its first science flight this week, in a joint program run by NASA and DLR Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt (German Aerospace Center).
The telescope aboard the highly modified aircraft, NASA says, will give astronomers access to the visible, infrared, and submillimeter spectrums, without having to worry about the atmospheric issues that terrestrial telescopes face. SOFIA stands for Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, which would seem to give an indication of the spectrum that takes priority.
Photo by NASA Photo / Tom Tschida
Caption by Jonathan Skillings
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The telescope aboard the highly modified aircraft, NASA says, will give astronomers access to the visible, infrared, and submillimeter spectrums, without having to worry about the atmospheric issues that terrestrial telescopes face. SOFIA stands for Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, which would seem to give an indication of the spectrum that takes priority.
Photo by NASA Photo / Tom Tschida
Caption by Jonathan Skillings
Powered by WizardRSS | Best Membership Site Software