Data From Infrared Telescope Exceeds Expectations

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Data From Infrared Telescope Exceeds Expectations

Posted by simoniker on Wednesday September 3, 2003 @06:45PM from the red-and-blackness-of-space dept.

Uosdwis writes "It's just Day 10 for the Space Infrared Telescope Facility, and it is producing data! This is only a calibration image, but look at this data set. "We're extremely pleased, because these first images have exceeded our expectations," said Dr. Michael Werner. This data is from IRAC at the shorter wavelengths as the telescope is still cooling. The official press release here."

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Why Infrared? by Lacertus · 2003-09-03 18:51 · Score: 2, Informative

Anyone care to enlighten a novice astromomer in the benefits of using infrared in telescopic technology?

There quite a decent summary contained within the sirtf site: Why IR?

I'm excited to see the value and quality of images such a thing can produce.
1. Re:Why Infrared? by Spamalamadingdong · 2003-09-04 02:36 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  It's infrared because too much of the universe's interesting phenomena are either behind dust clouds or at extreme red shifts; this puts most or all of their detectable emissions in the infrared, and we can't learn much about them unless we go looking there.
  
  --
  Scientists restrict study to entire physical universe; creationist
2. Re:Why Infrared? by tommy_teardrop · 2003-09-06 22:23 · Score: 1
  
  On as basic level, it's why fire rescue services use infrared googles going into a burning building. All the smoke obscures the visible light, but the heat (aka infrared light) passes through the smoke more easily.
  
  Of course, using highly calibrated equipment allows you to look in a very specific region of the 'wavelength window', so you can cut out as much of the obscuring material as possible. One man's target is another man's smoke - you pick your wavelength to include or exclude depending on what you want to see.
  
  --
  -- IANAL, BIPOOTV
Had to say it... by Pilferer · 2003-09-03 18:54 · Score: 3, Funny

My god, it's full of stars!
Triangle shaped by Frans+Faase · 2003-09-03 19:12 · Score: 3, Interesting

It seems to me that all the stars look kind of triangle shaped. Because starts are not triangles, it looks like the error is from the optics or the detector slid. I hope it is not some kind of systematic error such as the Hubble telescope had.
1. Re:Triangle shaped by Zachary+Kessin · 2003-09-03 19:21 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  I'm just guessing here, but I would bet it is a function of the mapping from the original data to much lower resolution they posted on the web.
  
  If you look at the high res image much of that goes away. Also note this is a camera working at the very limits of what people can design.
  
  --
  Erlang Developer and podcaster
2. Re:Triangle shaped by Ignis+Flatus · 2003-09-03 20:05 · Score: 1
  
  You might want to take another look at that high res photo. Yes, it is bigger, but the "triangularness" of the stars is still apparent. My guess is that it has some sort of active focusing mirror that needs calibration.
3. Re:Triangle shaped by advocate_one · 2003-09-03 22:18 · Score: 1
  
  why would you need an active focusing mirror when there's no atmosphere and the targets are all at infinity???
  It's an "engineering" image made just to check that the machine is awake and working. It's got a full shakedown scheduled for it during which I would expect them to actually "calibrate" the optics.
  HTH
  
  --
  Donald 'Duck' Dunn: We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline.
4. Re:Triangle shaped by MoobY · 2003-09-03 22:56 · Score: 1
  
  I didn't notice the triangles at first, but the flares on the stars were bugging me. They probably have a similar cause.
  
  --
  --- Sigmentation Fault - Comments Dumped
5. Re:Triangle shaped by Anonymous Coward · 2003-09-03 23:33 · Score: 1, Informative
  
  The telescope is still too hot to take proper data. It's probably because of the infrared interference the camera itself is giving off.
  
  Kinda like trying to take a picture of an arc welder with an automatic camera; the arc is so bright, the camera increases the shutter speed, so only the brightest elements have even a chance of showing up on the film.
6. Re:Triangle shaped by PD · 2003-09-04 03:59 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Here's the quote from the article about that:
  
  The images were taken as part of an operational test of the infrared array camera. It will take about a month to fully focus and fine-tune the telescope and cool it to optimal operating temperature, so these early images will not be as sharp or polished as future pictures.
  
  --
  If tits were wings it'd be flying around.
7. Re:Triangle shaped by Anonymous Coward · 2003-09-04 17:24 · Score: 1, Interesting
  
  the telescope isn't focussed yet. that's why there funny looking wavey spikes all over the stars, and also most likely also why they appear triangular (the "triangles" are in the raw images, not an effect of downsampling or jpeg-ification). the detectors most certainly did not slide, and there is no significant error in the optics.
  
  the image wasn't a calibration image ... it's what came back when we turned the instrument on for the first time ... a stunning moment. but we've got months of cooling down and engineering exercises before we create science data. that press release came as a surprise to eveyone working on the instrument; there was supposed to be a data blackout until the telescope finishes calibrating and is named in mid-december.
Woo! by NanoGator · 2003-09-03 19:24 · Score: 1

I can see my house from here!

*sigh* Not funny.

Sorry guys, I got nothin.

--
"Derp de derp."
1. Re:Woo! by Anonymous Coward · 2003-09-04 22:02 · Score: 0
  
  shut the fuck up, loser.
2. Re:Woo! by NanoGator · 2003-09-04 22:36 · Score: 1
  
  Bet you don't have the balls to tell me that with your registerred nick.
  
  --
  "Derp de derp."
3. Re:Woo! by NanoGator · 2003-09-05 07:25 · Score: 1
  
  That's what I thought, bitch.
  
  --
  "Derp de derp."
All that trouble... by Ignis+Flatus · 2003-09-03 19:48 · Score: 5, Funny

just to find out that the Universe is warm and fuzzy.
1. Re:All that trouble... by Rheingold · 2003-09-03 20:18 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  And beige!
  
  --
  Wil
  wiki
Hmmmm.... by Steve+Cox · 2003-09-03 21:12 · Score: 1

All I see is stars. Where are the WMD that are supposed to be in Irac?! :)
1. Re:Hmmmm.... by Anonymous Coward · 2003-09-03 23:35 · Score: 0
  
  It's a thermal image of the ground, so you're seeing the thermal hotspots where nuclear material is buried.
2. Re:Hmmmm.... by weeboo0104 · 2003-09-04 03:02 · Score: 1
  
  Where are the WMD that are supposed to be in Irac?!
  
  Next to your spell-checker? ;-)
  
  --
  It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. -Frederick Douglass
Yes, out there by annisette · 2003-09-03 22:51 · Score: 1

This is great stuff, so much in the articles the past few days about orbits, orbiting craft that I was getting dizzy, to see outer space is refreshing. The next step is to soft land the ISS on the other side of the moon, cover it with an igloo of epoxy and moon dust and start planning the steps to true space exploration. Three days away to deliver supplys can not be that tough.

--
I eat my grapes at room temperature, cuz the cold ones hurt my teeth
1. Re:Yes, out there by Anonymous Coward · 2003-09-03 23:37 · Score: 0
  
  At ten thousand dollars per pound, just to get in orbit around the Earth? You need to write more letters to your congressman if the money for that kind of venture is to become available.
2. Re:Yes, out there by annisette · 2003-09-04 06:51 · Score: 1
  
  Yes, you are correct, it would be an uphill situation, I propose thinking and talking about it as a start. From what I have read the talk from NASA is to go from the ISS to a voyage to mars in 20 years and there is sound commitment. The moon is pretty darn close to just stare at it for 20 years. walk, crawl, run, after Apollo we have crawled back into orbit, perhaps we could walk back to the moon, then the run for mars. Thanks for your reply.
  
  --
  I eat my grapes at room temperature, cuz the cold ones hurt my teeth
Oh yeah by Anonymous Coward · 2003-09-03 23:07 · Score: 0

If it's gonna be that kinda party I'm gonna stick my dick is somebody's potato.
Oh my god by Anonymous Coward · 2003-09-03 23:43 · Score: 0

It is full of stars!
Artifacts by msheppard · 2003-09-04 00:47 · Score: 2, Informative

The triangle shapes are probably an artifact of the sensors. Similar to the lines you see eminating from stars in other telescopes, caused by the hardware of the scope.

I think it's a pretty far leap to compare something liket his which you don't understand to the problems hubble had, which I also bet you didn't understand (they were not "systemic")

--
Krispy Cream is people
The Purpose of IR Astronomy by Uosdwis · 2003-09-04 04:48 · Score: 5, Informative

For those of you who took 'physics' this should be old hat.

There are many different wavelengths of light. Visible light is a very narrow band of the whole light spectrum. Other radiation (X, gamma, UV, IR) work in different parts of the spectrum, but is still light. Everyone likes the Hubble because it can give us pretty pictures, and truly they are amazing & has made many ground breaking discoveries, but IR can show us much much more.

Why? Because you make a better door than window Einstein. Interstellar space has tons and tons of dirt, which the Hubble can't see through with visible light. IR on the other hand is radiated through it. Just look how different the universe is when observed from a different point of view. Orion is amazingly different when looked at with IR compared with the visible spectrum. The composition, it's purpose and function is vastly different in IR to 'shed some more light' on things we 'already know'.

And for you cynics, much of this data will be given straight to the community at large, making it truly a public endeavor.
1. Re:The Purpose of IR Astronomy by annisette · 2003-09-04 07:02 · Score: 1
  
  Well said, and I along with many can't wait for the results.
  
  --
  I eat my grapes at room temperature, cuz the cold ones hurt my teeth
2. Re:The Purpose of IR Astronomy by snake_dad · 2003-09-04 07:34 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  Everyone likes the Hubble because it can give us pretty pictures, and truly they are amazing & has made many ground breaking discoveries, but IR can show us much much more.
  It's not just visible light that gives beautiful pictures. Check out this gallery of Chandra X-ray images.
  
  --
  karma capped .sig seeking available Slashdot poster for long-term relationship.
3. Re:The Purpose of IR Astronomy by drinkypoo · 2003-09-07 04:34 · Score: 1
  
  So how do they compensate for the fact that bodies which absorb IR tend to then radiate it in all directions? By using IR imaging alone, how can you tell if an object is an IR source, or if it's just reradiating?
  
  --
  "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Name? by Bob+Vila's+Hammer · 2003-09-04 06:00 · Score: 1

Have they named the telescope yet?

--

--"The perfect example of the man of action is the suicide." - William Carlos Williams
1. Re:Name? by Sgt_Jake · 2003-09-05 01:47 · Score: 1
  
  IRT. But if you pretend your in a car and breaking really fast it's more fun... IIIIIIIRRRRRRT!
  (I don't really know the name, I'm just making this up...)
2. Re:Name? by TMB · 2003-09-05 09:28 · Score: 1
  
  Not officially. There is a name picked out, but it's being kept extremely until the official renaming. Which for most space observatories would have been by now, but apparently the family of the person in question (they're always named after famous dead astronomers) doesn't want it named until it's proven to work... science verification should take place in November, so it'll probably be named in late November.
  
  [TMB]
Asteroids by iCat · 2003-09-04 07:10 · Score: 1

Is it just me, or do all those 'stars' look like the space ship in Asteroids?

The world should be told!
(OT) Spelling 'Iraq', 'Irak', 'Irac', 'Uruk', etc. by yerricde · 2003-09-04 08:01 · Score: 2, Funny

Some countries officially spell the name of that country next to Kuwait differently.

For example, the UNITED STATES CORPORATION (distinct from the united states of America) spells it "New Texas."

--
Will I retire or break 10K?
Grammar Troll by Anonymous Coward · 2003-09-04 08:34 · Score: 1

"data" is plural, so that should be "Data From Infrared Telescope Exceed Expectations"
1. Re:Grammar Troll by tommy_teardrop · 2003-09-06 22:16 · Score: 1
  
  While in the strictest sense, data is the pluralised form of datum, following a running battle with my boss (a grammer whore), I've found many examples in which data is allowed as a 'single mass entity'. eg dictionary.com
  
  --
  -- IANAL, BIPOOTV
It's a rough ride to orbit by Spamalamadingdong · 2003-09-04 10:47 · Score: 3, Insightful

why would you need an active focusing mirror when there's no atmosphere and the targets are all at infinity???
Because the spacecraft gets jostled and buffetted a lot on the way up, and things aren't always in the same relationship at the end of the trip as they were on the ground. Little things like the absence of gravity influence things too. Being able to tweak stuff after launch is probably a lot cheaper and more reliable than building everything heavy enough to be exactly the same before and after.

--
Scientists restrict study to entire physical universe; creationist
1. Re:It's a rough ride to orbit by advocate_one · 2003-09-05 05:44 · Score: 1
  
  My definition of "active" mirror is one in which the mirror is continuously driven by means of servo feedback loops etc. during the imaging process. (Commonly used on Earth to compensate for atmospheric disturbances in the light path through Earth's atmosphere during the exposure.) I have no problems with one which is merely active during a calibration phase to compensate for shifting of fittings during launch. I do though, see absolutely no requirement for a continuous focusing feedback loop when out of the atmosphere...
  
  --
  Donald 'Duck' Dunn: We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline.
2. Re:It's a rough ride to orbit by Dastardly · 2003-09-10 09:31 · Score: 1
  
  If you read the SIRTF site you will note that the instrument is designed to operate at a much cooler temperature than it currently is at. It is designed to be cooled radiatively to 40K in a few weeks, then the liquid helium cools it to 5.5K. So, the blurriness of the image is probably due to the optics being slightly out of alignment at the current temperature. Wait until is gets to 5.5K for the really sharp pictures.
  
  Dastardly
Bell Shaped by Anonymous Coward · 2003-09-05 04:58 · Score: 0

If you look closely, the stars are actually bell-shaped. This, I believe, is do to the Gaussian or Bell-shaped distribution of the infrared wavelengths of the stars.