Infrared telescopes detect infrared light emitted as heat from celestial objects to observe temperatures and compositions, requiring shielding from interfering heat and electronics to function, and allowing observation of planetary temperatures and potential alien life while being smaller than visible light telescopes but needing cryogenic cooling.

1. By Aaron, Laria, and Nicholas

2. How do they work?
 Infrared telescopes by seeing infrared light and
detecting what is around it by the heat that stars and
celestial objects radiate.
 All objects radiate some heat unless they are at
absolute zero. Depending on the telescope or used
device it becomes different colors at certain intervals.
For example black is the coldest and white is the
hottest.

3. Why to we use infrared telescopes?
 Infrared radiation is heat. It is radiation in
electromagnet that is at longer wavelengths then light
we usually see with our naked eye. We can’t see it but
we can feel it, for example on a sunny day.
 Infrared astronomy allows astronauts and
astrophysicists the ability to measure the temperature
of planetary bodies and stars and whatnot.

4. What do infrared telescopes need
to function properly?
 Infrared telescopes must be built to minimize the
amount of heat generated by the telescope itself.
 Since infrared telescopes emit a ton of heat, they need
to be shielded from the heat by people containing
them (or at least the ground-based telescopes) by
containing them in liquid nitrogen.
 Infrared telescopes need electricity to function at all.
 Infrared light reciever

5. Pros and Cons:
Pros Cons
 We can see how warm  Infrared telescopes need to be
celestial objects are. in a cold place if not
 Would be used to detect artificially chilled.
foreign life forms.  Produces a lot of heat on its
 Smaller than other own because of the heat
telescopes. making the image inaccurate.
 Infrared telescopes are hard
to use on land because of the
heat in the atmosphere
blocking a clear viewing.

6. Examples of Infrared Telescopes
 The Spitzer Space Telescope was the fourth and final
of the NASA Great Observatories program.
 There are two observatories on Mauna Kea, Hawaii.
They are at an altitude of 4205 meters.
 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, which operated from
1974 to 1995.

7. Infrared Observatory Picture

8. Telescope Pictures

9. Bibliography
 Brasil, C. (n.d.). Chavals. Retrieved 1 24, 2013, from Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chavals/3656263494/sizes/l/in/photostream/
 Farlex. (n.d.). Infrared Telescope. Retrieved 1 28, 2013, from The Free
Dictionary: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/infrared+telescope
 Massey, D. R. (n.d.). Glorious Orion: UKIRT Helps Reveal Chaotic and
Overcrowded Stellar Nursery. Retrieved 1 29, 2013, from Outreach Jach Hawaii:
http://outreach.jach.hawaii.edu/pressroom/2009_orion/
 NASA. (n.d.). PIA04267: SIRTF and the Milky Way, an Artist's Concept.
Retrieved 1 29, 2013, from Nasa.gov:
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_27_prt.htm
 Ogilvie, P. (n.d.). How Does an Infrared Telescope Work? Retrieved 1 28, 2013,
from eHow: http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4926827_infrared-telescope-
work.html
 The Tarantula Nebula. (n.d.). Retrieved 1 25, 2013, from Spitzer.CalTech.edu:
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/1121-ssc2004-01a-The-Tarantula-Nebula
 Wikipedia. (n.d.). Spitzer Space Telescope. Retrieved 1 28, 2013, from
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spitzer_Space_Telescope

10. Credits
Laria: Telescope artistry, researcher, PowerPoint editor
Nicholas: PowerPoint designer, researcher
Aaron: Researcher, Bibliography, Telescope observatory
artist