Theodore von Karman Lecture

Thursday, November 7, 2013

7:00pm to 8:00pm

JPL, von Karman Auditorium

From IRAS to Spitzer and Beyond: 30 years of Space-Based Infrared Astronomy

Luisa Rebull, Associate Research Scientist, Spitzer Science Center (SSC), Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC), Caltech,

The infrared lies beyond the red end of the visible spectrum of light. Cool and dusty things throughout the Universe appear bright in infrared.

2013 is a significant year in infrared astronomy—it marks the 30th anniversary of the launch of IRAS, the Infrared Astronomical Satellite, which revolutionized our view of the infrared cosmos, increasing the number of known infrared sources by about 70%. It's also the 10th anniversary of the launch of the Spitzer Space Telescope, at the time the most sensitive infrared telescope ever built, which has helped revolutionize our understanding of galaxy evolution, exoplanets, and star formation. 2013 is also the 4th anniversary of the launch of the infrared missions Herschel and WISE, the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer.

This talk will review some of the major discoveries from each of these important infrared astronomy missions.

For more information, please contact JPL Public Service Office by phone at 818-354-1234 or visit From IRAS to Spitzer and Beyond: 30 years of Space-Based Infrared Astronomy.

Event Series

Theodore von Kármán Lecture Series

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