Sofia astronomy

SOFIA, the world's largest flying telescope

1. SOFIA The world’s largest flying telescope

2. SOFIA is a really big deal! NASA’s airborne infrared observatories — the Learjet Observatory, the Kuiper Airborne Observatory and SOFIA — are pictured next to illustrations showing how the size of each telescope approximately compares to an adult. Credits: NASA/SOFIA/L. Proudfit

3. Astronomers are using SOFIA to study many different kinds of astronomical objects and phenomena, including: Star birth and death The formation of new solar systems Identification of complex molecules in space Planets, comets and asteroids in our solar system Nebulae and the ecosystems of galaxies Celestial magnetic fields ​Black holes at the center of galaxies

4. History of Airborne Astronomy at NASA The following story is compiled from NASA information and is used with permission. Credits: NASA/SOFIA/L. Proudfit NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley manages the SOFIA program, science and mission operations in cooperation with the Universities Space Research Association headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, and the German SOFIA Institute (DSI) at the University of Stuttgart. The aircraft is operated and maintained from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center Hangar 703, in Palmdale, California. Kassandra Bell SOFIA Science Center Last Updated: Sept. 25, 2018 Editor: Kassandra Bell

5. In the beginning… Sixty years ago, in 1958, NASA was founded as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The agency has a long history of using airplanes to study space. Flying at high altitudes puts telescopes above the water vapor in Earth’s atmosphere that blocks certain types of light, like infrared, from reaching ground-based telescopes. Airborne observatories can also go anywhere to conduct observations, enabling researchers to study transient events, such as the eclipse-like events called occultations to learn about distant planets and objects. When airborne observatories land after each flight, the telescope instruments, such as specialized cameras, can be upgraded or serviced, and new ones can be built to harness new technologies — which is not possible on most space-based telescopes.

6. Galileo I NASA’s Galileo I aircraft during a flight to study a solar eclipse in 1965. The modified Convair-990 aircraft had multiple observations windows in the top left side of the aircraft. Credits: NASA

7. NASA paved the way for airborne astronomy in 1965 by flying a modified Convair 990 aircraft to study a solar eclipse from inside the path of totality. In 1968, astronomers used 12-inch telescopes in the cabins of Learjet aircraft to study objects like Venus using infrared light. The Learjet Observatory (Learjet 24B aircraft) flying above California in the early 1970’s. The telescope was just in front of the wing. Right: Scientist Carl Gillespie using a 12-inch infrared telescope while flying aboard the Learjet 23 aircraft at 50,000 feet in 1968. Credits: NASA Photos above: Left- The Kuiper Airborne Observatory flies with its telescope door open in 1980. The converted C-141 aircraft had a 36-inch telescope just in front of the wing. Right- Inside the KAO, where the mission crew sat during flight. These consoles were positioned along the side of the aircraft's cabin. The portion of the telescope system that was inside the cabin can be seen at the back of the image. The open telescope cavity was separate from the pressurized cabin. Credits: NASA

8. The Learjet Observatory The work on the Learjet Observatory led to the development of NASA's Kuiper Airborne Observatory, or KAO, a converted C-141 cargo aircraft that carried a 36-inch reflecting telescope. Named after the planetary scientist Gerard Kuiper, it operated from NASA’s Ames Research Center in California from 1975 to 1995. Scientists used the KAO for solar system research, galactic and extra-galactic observations, and even studied the space shuttle’s heat shield in infrared light as it re-entered Earth’s atmosphere. Image right: C-141 (NASA-714) Kuiper Airborne Observatory in flight, telescope hatch open. Image courtesy: NASA.

9. Discoveries made from the Kuiper Airborne Observatory included:

10. The Kuiper Airborne Observatory was decommissioned in 1995 to enable the development of a flying observatory with a larger, more powerful infrared telescope — the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). Left: SOFIA soars over the snow-covered Sierra Nevada mountains with its telescope door open during a test flight. Right: Inside SOFIA during an observing flight at 40,000 feet. The mission crew, including telescope operators and scientists, sit facing the telescope at the back of the aircraft. The portion of the telescope that is inside the cabin is the blue round structure. The beige wall around the blue telescope structure is a pressure bulkhead that separates the open telescope cavity from the pressurized cabin, so the cabin environment feels similar to a commercial aircraft. Credits: Left: NASA/Jim Ross Right: NASA/DLR/Fabian Walker

11. Who made this happen? NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) jointly operate SOFIA. They chose a Boeing 747SP aircraft to carry the largest airborne telescope to date, at 106 inches (2.7 meters) in diameter. NASA modified and maintains the aircraft — which once flew for both Pan American World Airways and United Airlines — that now carries the telescope, its support systems, and the mission crew. The DLR designed, built and maintains the telescope which operates while flying at altitudes up to 45,000 feet at more than 650 mph.

12. SOFIA’s telescope, as seen during construction before its reflective aluminum coating was applied, reveals the honeycomb design that reduces its weight by 80%. Credits: NASA/Ron Strong

13. Inside Sofia, NASA's Airplane-Mounted Telescope Aircraft modifications included cutting the hole for the telescope cavity, adding a new pressure bulkhead to separate the pressurized cabin from the cavity, and adding airflow ramps around the cavity that allow the plane to fly normally while the telescope door is open. Inside the cabin, mission control systems required for the observatory replaced the seats from the aircraft’s days as a passenger plane. The modifications and test flights took place in Waco, Texas and at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center Hangar 703. About 20 people are aboard each flight to operate the aircraft, control the telescope and collect astronomical data. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/SOFIA/sofia_sees_first_light.html

14. Astronomers are using SOFIA to study many different kinds of astronomical objects and phenomena, including:

15. Far-infrared maps of Jupiter For the first time since the twin Voyager spacecraft missions in 1979, scientists have produced far-infrared maps of Jupiter using NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, SOFIA. These maps were created from the researchers’ studies of the circulation of gases within the gas giant planet’s atmosphere. Far-Infrared observations provide details not possible at other wavelengths. When gas planets like Jupiter are studied with visible light, they can only see the light reflecting from the top of the gas clouds that make up the atmosphere. Using infrared light allows scientists to see past the clouds and into the deep layers of the atmosphere, providing a three-dimensional view of the planet and the ability to study how gasses circulate within the atmosphere. Credits: [email protected] , SOFIA Science Center NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California 01/05/2017

16. Don’t Judge an Asteroid by its Cover: Mid-infrared Data from SOFIA Shows Ceres’ True Composition See more detail below.

17. SOFIA took this image of comet 46P/ Wirtanen on Dec. 16 and 17, 2018. Credits: NASA/SOFIA The SOFIA image was taken with the telescope's visible-light guide camera, using an orange filter to indicate the intensity of light relative to other objects. SOFIA's observations using infrared light to study the comet's water are now under analysis. Illustration of the molecular clouds surrounded by atomic envelopes, in green, which have been detected by SOFIA via emission from ionized carbon. The spatial offset and motions of these envelopes confirm predictions of simulations of cloud collisions. Credits: NASA/SOFIA/Lynette Cook Credits: NASA/SOFIA

18. Magnetic Fields May Be the Key to Black Hole Activity Artist’s conception of the core of Cygnus A, including the dusty donut-shaped surroundings, called a torus, and jets launching from its center. Magnetic fields are illustrated trapping the dust in the torus. These magnetic fields could be helping power the black hole hidden in the galaxy’s core by confining the dust in the torus and keeping it close enough to be gobbled up by the hungry black hole. Credits: NASA/SOFIA/Lynette Cook Two images of Cygnus A layered over each other to show the galaxy’s jets glowing with radio radiation (shown in red). Quiescent galaxies, like our own Milky Way, do not have jets like this, which may be related to magnetic fields. The yellow image shows background stars and the center of the galaxy shrouded in dust when observed with visible light. The area SOFIA observed is inside the small red dot in the center. Credits: Optical Image: NASA/ STSiC Radio Image: NSF/NRAO/AUI/VLA

19. These images show the infrared radiation emitted by the dust and the magnetic fields in 30 Dor , which is a star-forming region within the Tarantula Nebula located in the satellite galaxy called the Large Magellanic Cloud. Images taken at multiple wavelengths showing the dust and the magnetic fields in 30 Doradus . The color scale shows the intensity of the infrared radiation from the dust, or dust emission, and the lines show the morphology, or the structure, of the magnetic fields. The images taken at the shorter wavelengths (53- 89 microns), reveal warmer dust, while the images taken at the longer wavelengths (154-214 microns) show cooler dust. Credits: NASA/SOFIA Using the observatory’s newest instrument, which has a device called a polarimeter that maps celestial magnetic fields, the SOFIA team observed 30 Dor in a range of wavelengths sensitive to dust temperatures between 10-100 Kelvin (-441 to -280 F). The images taken at the shorter wavelengths reveal warmer dust, while the images taken at the longer wavelengths show cooler dust. These can be used to study potential disturbances on the magnetic fields in the dense and compact regions of 30 Dor , as well as the large-scale magnetic fields governing the whole structure of the nebula — both of which may impact star formation. “SOFIA’s pioneering observing techniques let us gather this exciting data,” said Kimberly Ennico Smith, SOFIA project scientist. “We’re thrilled to offer it to the scientific community so soon after the observations were completed.” The data are available: https://go.nasa.gov/2KVPPba

20. For more information about the crew go to: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11888757 Provided by   Public Affairs Section  | 30 August, 2017 | Categories:  Ambassador ,  Connecting with Kiwis ,  News ,  Science & Tech ,  U.S. & New Zealand ,  Youth Outreach  | Tags:  Girlboss ,  NASA ,  SOFIA Meet Alexia Hilbertidou , the 18-year-old founder of GirlBoss and the youngest person to be involved with Nasa's Sofia mission may be the youngest person ever to go on a project mission with NASA, but that's not her only accolade. The 18-year-old Aucklander is the founder of GirlBoss , a social enterprise which aims to empower women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

21. How can I learn more about SOFIA? NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley manages the SOFIA program, science and mission operations in cooperation with the Universities Space Research Association headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, and the German SOFIA Institute (DSI) at the University of Stuttgart. The aircraft is operated and maintained from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center Hangar 703, in Palmdale, California. For more information about SOFIA, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/sofia  •  http://www.dlr.de/en/sofia For information about SOFIA's science mission and scientific instruments, visit: http://www.sofia.usra.edu  •  http://www.dsi.uni-stuttgart.de/index.en.html Points of Contact Nicholas A. Veronico [email protected]  • SOFIA Science Center NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California