A timeline of the Spitzer Space Telescope’s 16 years of science – Astronomy Magazine
The “jack-o-lantern” nebula as captured by Spitzer in 2019.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
All good things must come to an end.
This includes NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope, an infrared observatory orbiting the Earth. The telescope, which has been in operation for 16 years, has captured data on exoplanets, far-off galaxies, and unknown mysteries of universe. After an illustrious career, Spitzer is set to retire on January 30.
Here are some highlights from Spitzer’s journey:
August 25, 2003
-
The Spitzer Space Telescope launches from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
November 2005
-
Spitzer detects light from the earliest stars (and possibly black holes) to form in the universe.
June 2008
-
After capturing images of the Milky Way for five years, NASA reveals a comprehensive portrait of our home galaxy known as GLIMPSE, short for Galactic Legacy Infrared Mid-Plane Survey Extraordinaire. When printed at its native resolution, the portrait measures 180 feet long by 4 feet wide.
