THE OLD, THE COLD, AND THE DIRTY: INFRARED ASTRONOMY EXPLORES THE UNIVERSE

THE OLD, THE COLD, AND THE DIRTY: Infrared Astronomy Explores the Universe
SC 202
Format B/C

Infrared exploration of the Universe reveals objects which are too cold, too dust- embedded, or too distant to be readily studied in other spectral bands. These range from cool, low-mass stars which harbor Earth-like planets, to distant galaxies seen when the Universe was less than 3% of its present age. From 2003 to 2020, NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope explored these and other phenomena with unprecedented infrared sensitivity. This talk will review Spitzer’s substantial technical advances and science results and provide a preview of the results from NASA’s next infrared space observatory, the recently launched James Webb Space Telescope.

Presenter: Michael Werner, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist for the Spitzer Space Telescope, Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology

Developers: Sara Willard, Robert B. Wilson

Monday, September 26; 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Facilitator: Marj Besemer