ke4roh's Journal: Infrared Telescope Launches

A new space telescope lifted off this morning. CNN reports, "SIRTF observes in the infrared light band and its scientists joke that SIRTF loks at the 'cold, the dark, and the dirty.'" It "will look at clouds of dust between stars. At shorter infrared wavelengths SIRTF will be able to see through the clouds, similar to how fog lams can view objects further away than normal headlamps." SIRTIF will also examine some of the most distant objects. SIRTF will orbit the sun, lagging behind the earth, which will give it a more stable orbit than an earth orbit.