April 10th, 2012 at 12:01PM
(via Desktop Project Part 9: Again I see IC 342 | Bad Astronomy | Discover Magazine) Spitzer may be “down” a bit (no coolant means it will not capture images as well), but it’s certainly not out. IC 342 is bright and fairly close, but behind a lot of our own galaxy’s dust from our point of view, so it’s easier to see in infrared. Above (and click through for the amazing full-size) is Spitzer’s IR take on IC 342. Spitzer has a mirror twice the size of WISE’s, so it gets more detail than in this one: (Credit: WISE) Still, it’s always good to keep looking. For comparison, if you have a serious amount of patience (as Phil’s friend in Anchorage did) and a good, dark night, you can capture a visible shot of IC 342: (Credit: Travis Rector)

(via Desktop Project Part 9: Again I see IC 342 | Bad Astronomy | Discover Magazine)

Spitzer may be “down” a bit (no coolant means it will not capture images as well), but it’s certainly not out.

IC 342 is bright and fairly close, but behind a lot of our own galaxy’s dust from our point of view, so it’s easier to see in infrared.

Above (and click through for the amazing full-size) is Spitzer’s IR take on IC 342.

Spitzer has a mirror twice the size of WISE’s, so it gets more detail than in this one:

(Credit: WISE)

Still, it’s always good to keep looking.

For comparison, if you have a serious amount of patience (as Phil’s friend in Anchorage did) and a good, dark night, you can capture a visible shot of IC 342:

(Credit: Travis Rector)

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2 notes Source: blogs.discovermagazine.com #Bad Astronomy#blog#Phil Plait#astronomy#infrared#IC 342#galaxy#spiral#galactic dust#Spitzer Space Telescope#Spitzer#WISE#NOAO
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