Research program(s)
Production year
2017
© Nicolas BAKER/IRAP/NASA/CNRS Images
Reference
20170029_0037
Scientifique en mission à bord du Boeing 747 SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for infrared astronomy)
Scientist on a mission aboard a Boeing 747 SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy). SOFIA is equipped with a telescope whose mirror measures 2.5 m in diameter. This NASA flying observatory, based in Palmdale California, flies by night at high altitude (up to approximately 14 km) to observe the stars in infrared from the stratosphere. During this mission in February 2017, SOFIA enabled observation of the Orion Nebula, the region nearest to the solar system in which massive stars form. On board, a dozen people ensure the smooth conduct of observations: telescope operators, scientists who check data quality in real time and operators of the GREAT instrument that converts the light collected by the telescope into scientific data. A map of Orion will thus be produced to characterise the dynamics of gases from observations of carbon ion emissions, very abundant in regions of star formation.
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