August 20, 2018 - Infrared Anniversary
Infrared Anniversary Fifteen years ago this week, NASA launched the fourth and final member of its Great Observatories, which aimed to assemble a complement of four cutting-edge telescopes that are sensitive to radiation across different parts of the spectrum. The first Great Observatory was the Hubble Space Telescope, launched in 1990 to study visible and near-ultraviolet light. It was followed in 1992 by the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, and in 1999 by the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The Spitzer Space Telescope, launched this week in 2003, captures infrared radiation, which allows it to see through dust that often obscures visible wavelengths. This Spitzer infrared image reveals the Coyote Head Nebula, a star-forming region tucked away behind a veil of dust that blocks our view in visible light.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Weekly Calendar
August 20 - 26, 2018
Holidays - Sky Events - Space History
Monday 20
1953: First Redstone rocket launched
1960: Sputnik 5 launched
1975: Viking 1 launched
1977: Voyager 2 launched
Tuesday 21
Saturn 2° south of Moon
1965: Gemini V launched
1972: OAO-3 launched
2002: First Atlas V rocket launched
Wednesday 22
1963: X-15 sets world altitude record for a winged craft (354,000 feet)
1976: Luna 24 returns soil samples from Moon
Thursday 23
Moon at apogee
Mars 7° south of Moon
1966: Lunar Orbiter I returns first image of Earth from Moon
Friday 24
Saturday 25
1965: President Johnson approves full-scale development of Manned Orbital Laboratory
1966: Apollo-Saturn 202 launched
1981: Voyager 2 flies past Saturn
1989: Voyager 2 flies past Neptune
2003: Spitzer Space Telescope launched
Sunday 26
Full Moon 7:56 AM ET
Mercury at greatest elongation (18° W)