Infrared Astronomy

The technical approaching of Spitzer is attached in four basic physical values that define the importance of IR in the investigation of astrophysical phenomena. The infrared region is part of the electromagnetic spectrum and ranges from 1 micron (near infrared) to 200 microns (far infrared). Human eyes are only sensitive to light between 0.4 and 0.7 microns.

Infrared observations expose cool state of matter.

Solid objects in space - from the size of a grain of interstellar dust (less than a micron) to the giant planets - have temperatures ranging from 3 to 1500 degrees Kelvin (K). 

Most of the energy radiated by objects in this temperature range is in the infrared. Infrared observations are therefore of particular importance in studying low-temperature media, such as dusty interstellar clouds where stars are forming and the icy surfaces of planetary satellites and asteroids.

Infrared observations investigate the Hidden Universe.

Cosmic dust grains obscure parts of the universe, blocking the light coming from critical regions. This dust becomes transparent in the near infrared, where observers can study optically invisible regions at the center of our Galaxy (and other galaxies) and solid clouds where stars and planets are born. For many objects, including stars in dusty regions, active galactic nuclei and even entire galaxies absorbed visible radiation by dust and re-emitted in the infrared makes up the bulk of its luminosity.

Infrared clarification affords way in to various spectroscopic lines.

The emission and absorption bands of virtually all molecules and solids are in the infrared, which can be used to study the physical and chemical conditions of relatively cold environments. Many atoms and ions have spectral lines in the infrared, which can be used to study stellar atmospheres and interstellar gas, exploring regions that are too cold or too much powder to be studied in visible light.

Infrared observations study the early universe.

The cosmic redshift, resulting from the general expansion of the universe, the energy moves inexorably toward long wavelengths, with the shift proportional to the distance of the object. Due to the finite speed of light, objects with large redshifts are observed as they were when the Universe was much younger. As a result of the expanding universe most optical and ultraviolet radiation emit by stars, galaxies and quasars from the beginning of time, now in the infrared. How and when the first objects in the universe are formed will be explained in large part thanks to infrared observations.

Apart from narrow near-infrared windows, all the infrared radiation emitted by celestial objects is absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere.