The Huge Spitzer Telescope

The Spitzer Telescope is the biggest of its kind ever launched into space. It gives us a very special view of the Universe because of its extremely sensitive instruments. The Spitzer enables us to look into regions of space which are hidden from optical telescopes.

Dense clouds of gas and dust fill many areas of space, which block our view. The Spitzer infrared telescope can penetrate these clouds, letting us see into regions of star birth, the centers of galaxies, and newly formed planetary systems.  Cooler objects in space, like smaller stars which are too dim to be seen by their visible light, extra solar planets, and big molecular clouds, can be detected by infrared light.

The Spitzer infrared telescope is equipped with a solar shield, and is launched into an Earth-trailing solar object. This object puts it at a distance from the Earth to allow it to cool quickly without needing to carry large amounts of cryogen (coolant). Spitzer will be the last mission in NASA's Great Observatories Program.