About SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy):
- SOFIA was a telescope mounted on a Boeing 747 SP aircraft that studied infrared light, essentially heat, emitted by objects in the universe.
- SOFIA was operated jointly by NASA and the German space agency.
- It is the world's largest airborne astronomical observatory, complementing NASA’s space telescopes as well as major Earth-based telescopes.
- The observatory, fitted with an 8.9-foot-wide (2.7 metre) telescope with a nearly 20-ton mirror, used a door in the side of the aircraft to peer at the sky.
- Flying into the stratosphere at 38,000-45,000 feet put SOFIA above 99 percent of Earth’s infrared-blocking atmosphere, allowing astronomers to study the solar system and beyond in ways that are not possible with ground-based telescopes.
- SOFIA could observe the universe in the widest range of infrared light.
- The aeroplane is capable of ten-hour flights, with flight paths chosen to keep ahead of the sunrise and maximise the amount of darkness.
- The observatory’s mobility allowed researchers to observe from almost anywhere in the world and enabled studies of transient events that often take place over oceans, where there are no telescopes.
- For example, astronomers on SOFIA studied eclipse-like events of Pluto, Saturn’s moon Titan, and Kuiper Belt Object MU69, the next flyby target for NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, to study the objects’ atmospheres and surroundings.
- The SOFIA project prematurely ended in 2022 after operating for 12 years.
