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An infrared telescope is a telescope that uses infrared light to detect celestial bodies. Infrared light is one of several types of radiation present in the electromagnetic spectrum. All celestial objects with a temperature above absolute zero emit some form of
electromagnetic radiation In physics, electromagnetic radiation (EMR) consists of waves of the electromagnetic (EM) field, which propagate through space and carry momentum and electromagnetic radiant energy. It includes radio waves, microwaves, infrared, (visib ...
. In order to study the universe, scientists use several different types of telescopes to detect these different types of emitted radiation in the electromagnetic spectrum. Some of these are gamma ray, x-ray,
ultra-violet Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30  PHz) to 400 nm (750  THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiatio ...
, regular visible light (optical), as well as infrared telescopes.


Leading discoveries

There were several key developments that led to the invention of the infrared telescope: * In 1800, William Herschel discovered infrared radiation. * In 1878,
Samuel Pierpoint Langley Samuel Pierpont Langley (August 22, 1834 – February 27, 1906) was an American aviation pioneer, astronomer and physicist who invented the bolometer. He was the third secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and a professor of astronomy a ...
created the first bolometer. This was a very sensitive instrument that could electrically detect incredibly small changes in temperature in the infrared spectrum. * Thomas Edison used an alternative technology, his tasimeter, to measure heat in the sun's corona during the solar eclipse of July 29, 1878. * In the 1950s, scientists used lead-sulfide detectors to detect the infrared radiation from space. These detectors were cooled with liquid nitrogen. * Between 1959 and 1961, Harold Johnson created near-infrared photometers which allowed scientists to measure thousands of stars. * In 1961, Frank Low invented the first germanium bolometer. This invention, cooled by liquid helium, led the way for current infrared telescope development.Timeline
Caltech
Infrared telescopes may be ground-based, air-borne, or space telescopes. They contain an infrared camera with a special solid-state infrared detector which must be cooled to cryogenic temperatures. Ground-based telescopes were the first to be used to observe outer space in infrared. Their popularity increased in the mid-1960s. Ground-based telescopes have limitations because water vapor in the Earth's atmosphere absorbs infrared radiation. Ground-based infrared telescopes tend to be placed on high mountains and in very dry climates to improve visibility. In the 1960s, scientists used balloons to lift infrared telescopes to higher altitudes. With balloons, they were able to reach about up. In 1967, infrared telescopes were placed on rockets. These were the first air-borne infrared telescopes. Since then, aircraft like the
Kuiper Airborne Observatory The Gerard P. Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) was a national facility operated by NASA to support research in infrared astronomy. The observation platform was a highly modified Lockheed C-141A Starlifter jet transport aircraft (s/n: 6110, re ...
(KAO) have been adapted to carry infrared telescopes. A more recent air-borne infrared telescope to reach the stratosphere was NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) in May 2010. Together, United States scientists and the German Aerospace Center scientists placed a 17-ton infrared telescope on a Boeing 747 jet airplane. Placing infrared telescopes in space completely eliminates the interference from the Earth's atmosphere. One of the most significant infrared telescope projects was the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) that launched in 1983. It revealed information about other galaxies, as well as information about the center of our galaxy the Milky Way. NASA presently has solar-powered spacecraft in space with an infrared telescope called the
Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE, observatory code C51, Explorer 92 and SMEX-6) is a NASA infrared astronomy space telescope in the Explorers Program. It was launched in December 2009, and placed in hibernation mode in February 2 ...
(WISE). It was launched on December 14, 2009.Griggs, B. (2009, December 14) NASA launches infrared telescope to scan entire sky. ''Cable News Network''. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/space/12/14/wise.spacecraft.launch/index.html


Selective comparison

The wavelength of visible light is about 0.4 μm to 0.7 μm, and 0.75 μm to 1000 μm (1 mm) is a typical range for infrared astronomy,
far-infrared astronomy Far-infrared astronomy is the branch of astronomy and astrophysics that deals with objects visible in far-infrared radiation (extending from 30 μm towards submillimeter wavelengths around 450 μm). In the far-infrared, stars are not especi ...
, to submillimetre astronomy.


Infrared telescopes

Ground based : *
Infrared Telescope Facility The NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (NASA IRTF) is a telescope optimized for use in infrared astronomy and located at the Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii. It was first built to support the Voyager missions and is now the US national facility ...
, Hawaii, 1979– *
Gornergrat Infrared Telescope The Telescopio InfraRosso del Gornergrat (TIRGO), or the Gornergrat Infrared Telescope, was located on the northern tower of the Kulm Hotel at Gornergrat ( altitude) near Zermatt, Switzerland. It was a Cassegrain telescope with a tip-tilt corre ...
, 1979–2005 * Infrared Optical Telescope Array, 1988–2006 *
United Kingdom Infrared Telescope The United Kingdom Infra-Red Telescope (UKIRT) is a 3.8 metre (150 inch) infrared reflecting telescope, the second largest dedicated infrared (1 to 30 micrometres) telescope in the world. It is located on Mauna Kea, Hawai'i as part of Mau ...
, 1979– * Wyoming Infrared Observatory, 1977- Airborne: *
Kuiper Airborne Observatory The Gerard P. Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) was a national facility operated by NASA to support research in infrared astronomy. The observation platform was a highly modified Lockheed C-141A Starlifter jet transport aircraft (s/n: 6110, re ...
(KAO), 1974-1995 * Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), 2010-2022 Space based: * Infrared Astronomical Satellite, 1983 * Spitzer Space Telescope, 2003-2020 * Herschel Space Observatory, 2009-2013 *
Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE, observatory code C51, Explorer 92 and SMEX-6) is a NASA infrared astronomy space telescope in the Explorers Program. It was launched in December 2009, and placed in hibernation mode in February 2 ...
(WISE), 2009- * Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (formerly WFIRST) * James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), 2021-


See also

* Infrared astronomy * List of largest infrared telescopes *
List of telescope types The following are lists of devices categorized as types of telescopes or devices associated with telescopes. They are broken into major classifications with many variations due to professional, amateur, and commercial sub-types. Telescopes can be ...


Notes

{{Portal bar, Astronomy, Stars, Spaceflight, Outer space, Solar System Telescope types Infrared imaging