Spitzer made one of his first discoveries by
comparing elliptical and spiral galaxies
; while the first contain old stars and only traces of interstellar gas, the latter contain large amounts of gas and young stars. He thus deduced that the process of star formation is ongoing.
What did Spitzer discovered?
The Spitzer Space Telescope, launched in 2003, was NASA’s Infrared Great Observatory. Among many other accomplishments in its 16 years of operation, Spitzer discovered
a giant ring of Saturn
, revealed a system of seven Earth-size planets around a star 40 light-years away, and studied the most distant known galaxies.
What did Lyman Spitzer invent?
Lyman Spitzer Jr.
Spitzer invented
the stellarator plasma device
and is the namesake of NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope. As a mountaineer, he made the first ascent of Mount Thor, with Donald C. Morton.
What did Lyman Spitzer do?
Lyman Spitzer, Jr. (1914-1997) was one of the 20th century’s great scientists. A renowned astrophysicist, he made major contributions in the areas of
stellar dynamics, plasma physics, thermonuclear fusion, and space astronomy
.
Did Lyman Spitzer invent the telescope?
By 1975, Spitzer has successfully won enough support from scientists that NASA and the European Space Agency began developing what would become the Hubble Space Telescope. The Hubble Space Telescope, the brainchild of Lyman Spitzer, Jr., was launched into orbit in 1990.
When was the first telescope invented?
While there is evidence that the principals of telescopes were known in the late 16th century, the first telescopes were created in the Netherlands in
1608
. Spectacle makers Hans Lippershey & Zacharias Janssen and Jacob Metius independently created telescopes.
What was the goal of Spitzer?
Goal:
Provide a unique, infrared view of the universe and allow us to peer into regions of space that are hidden from optical telescopes
.
Is the Spitzer telescope still in space?
NASA’s Spitzer Space
Telescope has concluded after more than 16 years of exploring the universe in infrared light
. After more than 16 years studying the universe in infrared light, revealing new wonders in our solar system, our galaxy, and beyond, NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope’s mission has come to an end.
What do Spitzer telescopes see?
Its sensitive infrared detectors were well-suited to identify and
characterize asteroids
, image the dusty debris surrounding comments, and even discover Saturn’s largest ring. One of Spitzer’s design goals was to enable astronomers to study the infrared glow of dust and debris orbiting distant stars.
What is Galileo telescope?
Galileo’s Telescopes
The basic tool that Galileo used was a
crude refracting telescope
. His initial version only magnified 8x but was soon refined to the 20x magnification he used for his observations for Sidereus nuncius. It had a convex objective lens and a concave eyepiece in a long tube.
Who is the telescope named after?
NASA is naming its next-generation space telescope in honor of
pioneer Nancy Grace Roman
, a UChicago alum and NASA’s first chief astronomer.
What was the Spitzer telescope named after?
NASA’s Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) will now be known as the Spitzer Space Telescope, named after
the late Dr. Lyman Spitzer Jr.
The honor has been bestowed on Dr. Spitzer to commemorate his vision and contribution to science.
Where is the Spitzer Space Telescope located?
The mission was operated and managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Spitzer Science Center, located
on the Caltech campus in Pasadena, California
.
What does a space telescope do?
The main reason we put telescopes into space is
to get around the Earth’s atmosphere
so that we can get a clearer view of the planets, stars, and galaxies that we are studying. Our atmosphere acts like a protective blanket letting only some light through while blocking others. Most of the time this is a good thing.
