What is Spitzer Space Telescope?
The '''Spitzer Space Telescope''' is a [[telescope]] launched into space by [[NASA]] in 2003. It is the fourth telescope in the [[Great Observatories program]] (the [[Hubble Space Telescope]] was the first). The Hubble Space Telescope takes pictures of [[visible light]], and the Spitzer Space Telescope takes pictures of [[infrared light]]. Unlike Hubble, Spitzer orbits the [[Sun]] instead of the [[Earth]]. The Spitzer Space Telescope is named after the scientist Lyman Spitzer. It was planned to last for 2.5 years, but it actually lasted until 2009 when it exhausted its supply of coolant. Some parts of the telescope can work even when they are warm, and are still working. ==Discoveries== The Spitzer Space Telescope was able to see very good detail. Spitzer was the first telescope that could see light from [[extrasolar planets]] (planets outside the [[Solar System]].<ref>[http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/news/189-ssc2005-09-NASA-s-Spitzer-Marks-Beginning-of-New-Age-of-Planetary-Science Press Release: NASA's Spitzer Marks Beginning of New Age of Planetary Science].</ref>) It was also able to see some of the first stars in the [[universe]], believed to be only 100 million years after the [[Big Bang]].<ref>[http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa007&articleID=0009A468-3F5E-1369-BF5E83414B7F0000 Infrared Glow of First Stars Found: Scientific American].</ref> [[File:Andromeda galaxy Ssc2005-20a1.jpg|thumb|left|300px|A picture of the [[Andromeda Galaxy]] (M31) taken by Spitzer in 2004.]] ==Further reading== *[http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/spitzer/main/index.html Spitzer Space Telescope website at NASA.] *[http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/ Spitzer Space Telescope website at Caltech.] ==References== {{reflist}} [[Category:Space telescopes]] [[Category:American satellites]]