Newswise — What separates the SOuthern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) Telescope from other similar instruments is an infrared camera, developed and built at Michigan State University, whose images could rival those that are captured by space-based telescopes.
Once installed in the SOAR Telescope, which is scheduled to be in operation later this year, the Spartan Infrared Camera will set the standard for capturing images in the infrared (IR).
"With the sharp images of this instrument, we'll be able to see detail that you wouldn't be able to see even with the infrared camera on the space telescope," said Edwin Loh, an MSU professor of physics and astronomy who led the MSU team that created the camera. "In addition, we'll be able to see extremely faint stars and galaxies."
The SOAR Telescope is a joint venture between MSU, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the country of Brazil and the National Optical Astronomy Observatories. The nation of Chile is a de facto partner. Located in the clear-aired Andes Mountains of Chile, the 4.1-meter telescope will provide astronomers with some of the best views ever of stars within the Milky Way and other galaxies.
The telescope has the capability to capture images in both standard optical and the infrared. By capturing images in the infrared, astronomers will be able to view images of stars and galaxies with much more detail.
"The problem is a lot of astronomical sources have dust in them, and visible light is severely absorbed by dust," Loh said. "In the visible spectrum you can't see much, but in the infrared you can."
A good example of that is the center of our own Milky Way galaxy. Studying the plane of the galaxy is nearly impossible with the use of optic telescopes because there is so much dust.
"If you want to see the center of the Milky Way, you have to look through all this dust," Loh said. "In the visible you're out of luck, you can't see it at all. But in the IR, you can."
Loh himself will use the instrument to observe distant supernovae, or exploding stars. His mission: To confirm or refute, through use of the infrared camera, a recent discovery that disputed a long-running theory that expansion of the universe was slowing down.
"Looking at distant supernovae, astronomers figured out that expansion of the universe was not slowing but actually speeding up," he said. "This work was done with visible cameras.
"What I want to do is the same thing, only with the IR camera. If we find even more distant supernovae and figure out how bright they are, this will tell us if the universe is really expanding."
The Spartan camera itself is a 250-pound collection of mirrors, wires and other equipment that rests in a large box. Adding to the complication is the camera's detectors can't function at room temperature, so they must be cooled by liquid nitrogen.
"The detector's own thermal emission can interfere with the detection of infrared radiation from astronomical sources," Loh said. "Therefore, we have to work at extremely cold temperatures " around minus 220 degrees Celsius."
A 15-member team consisting of staff, students and even a few high school students have been working on the camera for several years. The camera is scheduled to be installed in the SOAR telescope sometime this summer.
For more information on the Spartan Infrared Camera, visit the Web at http://www.pa.msu.edu/astro/spartan_camera.htm
For information on the SOAR Telescope project, visit the Web at http://special.newsroom.msu.edu/soar/
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