Spitzer Space Telescope: Warmed Up and Ready to Go

July 28, 2009

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An infrared view of the choppy star-making cloud called M17, or the Swan nebula. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Wisc.

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has put its infrared eyes back on the sky to observe the cold and dusty universe.

The telescope ran out of liquid coolant on May 15, 2009, after more than five-and-a-half years of observations.

Two of its infrared channels are working at full capacity at the observatory's new "warm" temperature of approximately 30 Kelvin (minus 406 degrees Fahrenheit) -- still quite chilly by our Earthly standards.

Engineers and scientists have been busy recalibrating the telescope and making preparations for Spitzer's new era of science. Routine science operations begin today, July 27, 2009.

More information about the warm mission can be found at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/spitzer/news/spitzer-warm.html .

Provided by JPL/NASA (news : web)

• yyz - Jul 29, 2009
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  Great to see this productive satellite is still capable of making useful scientific observations and has extended funding to make those observations.
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