Cool is Hot: The EM Spectrum,
Infrared Radiation, and Infrared Astronomy
D. Backman
SOFIA Outreach / SETI Institute / NASA Ames
CSTA / NSTA-West
December 4, 2014
Outline:
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Electromagnetic spectrum
Focus on infrared
SOFIA – Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy
Active Astronomy classroom kits
Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors program
Sir William
Herschel:
Discovery
of infrared
radiation
(1800)
Build your own
Herschel demo
The full electromagnetic spectrum …
Making Light of it All!
Riding the Wave
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Light is a wave of electromagnetic energy
The wavelength of light defines its radiation
band (X-ray, or Infrared, or Visible or …)
Wavelength, Frequency, Speed:
ln=c
l (or w) = wavelength (length: meters, m)
n (or f) = frequency (cycles per sec: s-1, Hertz or Hz)
c = speed (meters per second: m/s, m s-1)
THIS FORMULA HOLDS TRUE FOR ANY WAVE
BECAUSE SPEED ‘c’ IS CONSTANT,
l and n HAVE A RECIPROCAL RELATIONSHIP
“Invisible” Light in Society
Each part of the spectrum impacts
our daily lives…
Solar UV
Communications
Microwave ovens
Remote controls
X-rays
Reprise electromagnetic spectrum:
View through
NEAR-INFRARED
“night vision” goggles
(0.7-1.0 microns)
Views through Mid-IR (a.k.a. Thermal-IR) cameras
Representational-color
views through a
MID-INFRARED
camera
(8-14 microns)
Representing invisible light is as much “art” as “science.”
Getting a more complete
picture of the Universe:
Constellation Orion
left: visual wavelength view
right: far-infrared view
BUT THERE’S A PROBLEM …
Gamma-ray
X-ray
UV
Infrared
Radio
EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE: OPACITY VERSUS WAVELENGTH
Earth’s atmospheric water vapor absorbs almost all incoming infrared radiation.
Even mountain-top observatories get a limited view of the infrared universe.
Thermal-IR
image of
Earth from
meteorology
satellite
SOFIA -- The Next Generation
Airborne Observatory
• 2.5-meter (100-inch) diameter
telescope in a Boeing 747SP
• Based at NASA-Armstrong
facility in southern Calif.,
with mission science center at
NASA-Ames in northern Calif.
• 20% share with the German
space agency DLR
• First science flight was in 2010
• Goal: 120+ 8-hr science flights per year, 20-yr lifetime
• 2-4 weeks per year in southern hemisphere deployments
SOFIA – the observatory
Open cavity
(door not shown)
Educator work stations
Pressure bulkhead
Scientist work stations,
TELESCOPE
telescope and instrument
control, etc.
Scientific instrument (1 of 6)
Jupiter
Galaxy M82
SOFIA’s
“First Light”
images
Images of the Milky Way Galaxy’s nucleus
Ring of molecular clouds orbiting
central supermassive black hole.
[Only massive central star cluster is seen.]
SOFIA: mid-IR
Hubble: near-IR
Active Astronomy (“AA”)classroom kit
Middle School physical science / High School physics
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* Supports 4 activities comparing and contrasting
visual & infrared light;
* Teachers’ guide includes curricular material,
pre-/post-tests, parts list, suggested vendors.
Available for downloading at:
http://www.sofia.usra.edu/Edu/materials/edu_materials.html
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SOMETIMES available for purchase (at cost) from
the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP):
 Noel Encarnacion (ASP Customer Service Manager)
service@astrosociety.org
AA classroom kit, continued
Four activities:
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What’s Getting Through To You (EM spectrum, colors, bandpasses)
> Light Filters (Gels)
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Seeing the Invisible (detecting infrared light)
> Detector Circuit & Holographic Grating
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Reflection of Visual and Infrared Light
> Mirror and Detector Circuit
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Listening to Light (transmitting information using infrared light)
> CD player, Transmitter Circuit, Detector Circuit
Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors 2011 pilot program (“Cycle 0”):
Six Educators from the U.S., Two from Germany
Mary Blessing, Herndon, Va.
Cris DeWolf, Remus, Mich. with Dana Backman (SETI)
Pamela Harman (SETI) with Margaret Piper, Frankfort, Ill.
Kathleen Fredette, Palmdale, CA
Terry Herter (Cornell), Jim De Buizer (USRA) with
Theresa Paulsen, Mellen, Wis. and Marita Beard, San Jose, Calif.
Cecilia Scorza (DSI) with Wolfgang Vieser, Munich, Germany
Jörg Trebs, Berlin, Germany
AIRBORNE ASTRONOMY AMBASSADORS
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* About 50 educators per year expected to fly
on SOFIA in full-scale program
- Classroom teachers
- Planetarium & science center staff
- Community college faculty
- Amateur astronomers with robust public
outreach programs
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- Apply as teams of 2; one member of the
team must be a currently active middle- or
high school science teacher.
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* Next application opportunity: OPEN NOW!
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http://www.seti.org/sofia
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(SOFIA page on SETI Institute’s website)
For further information:
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SOFIA Science Center home page & main Education page
• http://www.sofia.usra.edu
• http://www.sofia.usra.edu/Edu/edu.html
(PDF copy of these slides available there next Monday)
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Spitzer Space Telescope’s award-winning infrared tutorial
• http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu
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Printed resource list available here
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Contact the presenter:
• dbackman@sofia.usra.edu
Further information & resources:
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SOFIA Science Center home page & main Education page
• http://www.sofia.usra.edu
• http://www.sofia.usra.edu/Edu/edu.html
(PDF copy of these slides available there next Monday)
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Spitzer Space Telescope’s award-winning infrared tutorial
• http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu
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Printed resource list available here in the workshop
(and on SOFIA main Education page next Monday)
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Contact the presenter(I am happy to videocon w/ your students):
• dbackman@sofia.usra.edu