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APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
IRTF: Scanning the Infrared Skies
Explanation: Above, NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) poses in front of a starry background. Located on top of Hawaii 's towering volcano Mauna Kea , the IRTF is the premier telescope for observing in near infrared light. This 3-meter telescope was established in 1979 and spends about half its time observing Solar System objects. In 1994, for example, the IRTF recorded pieces of the famous comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 plunge into Jupiter . Last year, the IRTF recorded an outburst of a volcano on Jupiter's moon Io . IRTF 's observational successes outside our Solar System include understanding the infrared emission of dust and Pre-Main Sequence stars and even the identification of faint galaxies .
| Date | September 4, 1996 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Credit: NASA, IfA (U. Hawaii), Photograph courtesy of Bill Keel (University of Alabama) |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |