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Data From Infrared Telescope Exceeds Expectations

Posted by simoniker on 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."

2 of 44 comments (clear)

  1. Triangle shaped by Frans+Faase · · 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 Anonymous Coward · · 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.