Media Information
 
 
 
Collection:
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection
Title:
The Far Infrared Sky
Explanation:
Three major sources contribute to the far-infrared [ http://www.ipac.cal…] sky [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]: our Solar System [ http://www.seds.org…], our Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], and our Universe [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. The above recently released image [ http://www.astro.uc…], in representative colors, is the highest resolution projection yet created of the entire far-infrared sky [ http://www.astro.uc…] (60 - 240 microns) created from years of observations by the now-defunct robot spacecraft COBE [ http://space.gsfc.n…]. Our Solar System is evidenced most prominently by the S-shaped blue sash called zodiacal light [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], created by small pieces of rock and dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] orbiting between the Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] and Jupiter [ http://www.jpl.nasa…]. The disk of our Galaxy [ http://adc.gsfc.nas…] is evidenced most prominently by the thin band of light-emitting dust [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] that crosses the middle of the image. Clouds and filaments of dust in our Milky Way [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] also make intricate patterns pervading most of the sky. Close inspection of similar images reveal [ http://adsabs.harva…] that the background is not completely dark, indicating that our Universe itself provides a diffuse glow [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], created by dust left over from the star formation throughout the Universe [ http://adsabs.harva…].
Credit and Copyright:
E. L. Wright [ http://www.astro.uc…] (UCLA [ http://www.astro.uc…]), COBE [ http://space.gsfc.n…], DIRBE [ http://space.gsfc.n…], NASA [ http://www.nasa.gov/]
keyword:
infrared
keyword:
sky
facet_where:
Jupiter
facet_where:
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
facet_where:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_what:
Galileo
facet_what:
Sun
facet_what:
COBE
facet_what:
Jupiter
original url:
http://antwrp.gsfc.…
UID:
SPD-APOD-ap000517

The Far Infrared Sky
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