IRTF: Scanning the Infrared Skies

About This Image

Above, NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) poses in front of a starry background. Located on top of Hawaii's towering volcano Mauna Kea, the IRTF is the premier telescope for observing in near infrared light. This 3-meter telescope was established in 1979 and spends about half its time observing Solar System objects. In 1994, for example, the IRTF recorded pieces of the famous comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 plunge into Jupiter. Last year, the IRTF recorded an outburst of a volcano on Jupiter's moon Io. IRTF's observational successes outside our Solar System include understanding the infrared emission of dust and Pre-Main Sequence stars and even the identification of faint galaxies.