The Spitzer Space Telescope has spent 16 years revealing the secrets of the infrared universe. But age has finally caught up to the beloved telescope. Now, NASA has decided to retire the telescope and will power it down on Jan. 30.
Although Spitzer was never a household name — often working in tandem with other iconic observatories like Hubble — its contributions cannot be understated. Spitzer’s ability to see through thick space dust revolutionized our view of the cosmos. This allowed astronomers to study objects that previously were too cold, too distant, or too obscured to be observed at other wavelengths.
From mapping our place in the Milky way to peeping a new ring around Saturn, Spitzer revealed hidden cosmic features within our solar system and beyond. The telescope ushered in a new era of planetary science when it became the first to directly detect light from planets outside of our solar system.
Achieving scientific feats that were above and beyond what Spitzer was designed for was a defining theme in the telescope's career. But beyond that, Spitzer has paved the way for the future of infrared observing. The larger and more sensitive James Webb Space Telescope, launching in 2021, will pick up where Spitzer left off. It will study some of Spitzer’s breakthroughs with even greater precision.
But that doesn’t make it any easier to say goodbye to Spitzer. As the telescope’s mission comes to a close, take a look back on some of the amazing images and discoveries that it made during its illustrious career.
Infrared scavenger hunt
Thanks to Spitzer's ability to peer through the obscuring effects of dust with its infrared vision, the telescope discovered hundreds of previously unknown objects early in its career.
