Originally launched in 2003 , the Spitzer Space Telescope was only anticipate to work for around five years , but NASA hasjust celebratedthe clever routine of kit ’s 12thanniversary with a newdigital calendar . The telescope has been tirelessly snap unbelievable images of the universe and the calendar showcases some of the mission ’s most astonishing discoveries , plus a few that simply look awesome .
Theplanned missionof the telescope was only meant to be two and a half yr , even though scientist fuck that it could probably last five . The life-time for most of its instruments was dependent on the amount of liquid He on gameboard , which is used to cool the equipment . Yet when this ran out , and the commission move into its “ strong ” phase , scientist were able to use its two Infrared Array Cameras ( IRAC ) . It ’s expected to keep working late into this tenner .
It uses the infrared cameras to explore asteroids , comets , exoplanets and galaxies . In fact , the camera were n’t even designed in the first spot to study exoplanets , but with a little mo of tweaking , the instruments allowed researchers to peer into their atmospheres , cumulate info on things like clime . The telescope was even the first to ever observe visible light from an exoplanet back in 2005 .
Its other discoveries are also pretty telling . It was capable to observe the aftermath when NASA ’s Deep Impact spacecraft slammed into the comet Tempel 1 , it identified the Saturn ’s largest ring ( which is around 300 times the planet diameter ) , and it even see one of the most remote exoplanets presently known around 13,000 scant - years off .
The photographs in the calendar follow the history of the scope from 2003 to today . “ You ca n’t to the full represent Spitzer ’s scientific bounty in only 12 image , ” Michael Werner , the mission ’s project scientist and a Spitzer squad appendage since 1977 , toldNASA ’s website . “ But these stone exhibit Spitzer ’s unparalleled perspective on both the nigh , and the most distant , objects in the universe of discourse . ”
From a swirling , star - studded coltsfoot to the parturition of a star , the pictures are genuinely striking . If you want your own copy of the calendar , you canget your hands on it here !
The Orion Nebula , constructed using infrared Spitzer data . quotation : NASA / JPL - Caltech
