Spitzer's solar panels shield the Observatory from the Sun, shown here in the infrared.
November 30, 2005
SIRTF seen against the infrared sky. The band
of light is the glowing dust emission from the
Milky Way galaxy seen at 100 microns (as seen
by the IRAS/COBE missions).
The SIRTF solar panels also double as a solar shield that always faces the sun, protecting the cold observatory from the sun's heat.
The SIRTF solar panels also double as a solar shield that always faces the sun, protecting the cold observatory from the sun's heat.
Topics:
Environment, Technology Internet, Spitzer Space Telescope, Infrared telescopes, IRAS, Space, Astronomy, Spacecraft, AKARI, Far infrared astronomy, Cosmic Background Explorer, Infrared, Sun, Galaxy, Milky Way
