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Infrared astronomy is a sub-discipline of astronomy which specializes in the observation and analysis of astronomical objects using infrared (IR) radiation. The wavelength of infrared light ranges from 0.75 to 300 micrometers, and falls in between visible radiation, which ranges from 380 to 750 nanometers , and submillimeter waves.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a space telescope designed to conduct infrared astronomy.As the largest telescope in space, it is equipped with high-resolution and high-sensitivity instruments, allowing it to view objects too old, distant, or faint for the Hubble Space Telescope. [9]
This list of space telescopes (astronomical space observatories) is grouped by major frequency ranges: gamma ray, x-ray, ultraviolet, visible, infrared, microwave, and radio. Telescopes that work in multiple frequency bands are included in all of the appropriate sections.
The Infrared Astronomical Satellite (Dutch: Infrarood Astronomische Satelliet) (IRAS) was the first space telescope to perform a survey of the entire night sky at infrared wavelengths. [6] Launched on 25 January 1983, [ 3 ] its mission lasted ten months. [ 7 ]
Far infrared image of the Andromeda galaxy from the Herschel Space Observatory. Far-infrared astronomy is the branch of astronomy and astrophysics that deals with objects visible in far-infrared radiation (extending from 30 μm towards submillimeter wavelengths around 450 μm).
Infrared telescopes may be ground-based, air-borne, or space telescopes. They contain an infrared camera with a special solid-state infrared detector which must be cooled to cryogenic temperatures. [3] Ground-based telescopes were the first to be used to observe outer space in infrared. Their popularity increased in the mid-1960s.
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (shortened as Roman or the Roman Space Telescope, and formerly the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope or WFIRST) is a NASA infrared space telescope in development and scheduled to launch to a Sun–Earth L 2 orbit by May 2027. [5] It is named after former NASA Chief of Astronomy Nancy Grace Roman.
The largest infrared telescopes for infrared astronomy are listed in terms of diameter of primary mirror. The infrared spectrum with its longer wavelength than visible light has a number of challenges, especially for ground-based observatories but also in space.