NASA's Zaheer Ali On SOFIA, The Infrared Telescope Unlocking New Mysteries Of The Milky Way

摘要

NASA kicked off 2020 by releasing a stunning new image of our Milky Way galaxy. The composite infrared image spannedover 600 light years across and was made possible thanks to NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy(SOFIA), a Boeing 747SP jetliner modified to carry a 106-inch diameter telescope.SOFIA's uses infrared light to capture imagery that's inaccessible to other space telescopes and will give scientists new insightsinto star and planet formation. Imagery from SOFIA, combined with data from the Herschel Space Observatory and theSpitzer Space Telescope, will help scientists plan targets for future telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope, scheduledto launch in 2021.