Infrared Observatories and Surveys

In order to begin to understand what the possibilities are for the detection of Megascale Structures built by Extraterrestrial Intelligence using infrared astronomy, we must first know what instruments are available and planned as well as what surveys have been or will be conducted.

Index

Conferences

Observatories Capable of Infrared Observations

Ground Based Optical Telescopes

Ground Based Radio Telescopes (submillimeter)

Airborne Telescopes

Space Based Telescopes

Astronomy Infrared and Visible Surveys

Infrared and Visible Astronomical Survey Comparison
Survey Objects Dates Telescope
Size		 Bands /
Wavelengths		 Resolution Sensitivity
Lifetime
      cm       years
IRAS   Jan-Oct
1983		 60 12, 25, 60 mm 
100 mm
0.5' (12)
2'
0.5 Jy
1.5 Jy
.8
IRTS
@IRSA		   Mar-Apr
1995		 150 1-1000 mm:
 NIRS: 1.4-4.0 mm
 MIRS: 4.5-11.7 mm
 FILM: 145,155,158,160 mm
 FIRP: 150,250,400,700 mm
8' x 8'
8' x 8'
8' x 13'
30' (0.5 deg.)		  
.1
DENIS;
catalog		 Southern
Sky		 1993-
2000		 100 I (0.8 mm)
J (1.25 mm)
K (2.2 mm)		   mag 18.5
mag 16.5
mag 14		 8
ISO   Nov 1995-
May 1998		 60 2.5-240 mm
 CAM: 2.5-5.2/4-18 mm
 LWS: 43-197 mm
 PHT: 50-240 mm (array)
 SWS: 2.38-45.2 mm
3' dia.		   2.5
MSX   1996-1997 33 A (8.28 mm)
C (12.13 mm)
D (14.65 mm)
E (21.3 mm)		      
2MASS
All-Sky Data		 All sky;
Mt. Hopkins
& CTIO		 Spring 1997-2001
130
 J (1.25 mm)
H (1.65 mm)
Ks (2.17 mm)		   mag 13.5 4
SDSS Northern Sky;
APO		 June 1998+  250 U' (0.354 mm)
G' (0.476 mm)
R' (0.628 mm)
 I' (0.769 mm)
Z' (0.925 mm)		      
WIRE failed Sept
1998-1999		 30 12 mm
25 mm		    
.33
SOFIA various 2004+ 250        
Astro-F   2003+  67 N (2-5 mm)
M (5-25 mm)
FIS (50-200 mm)
 diffraction limit
at > 10 mm
1' 100-200 mm
  
 1.75
SIRTF/
Spitzer		   2003+
to 2006		 850 3-180 mm      
WISE full sky 2008+
40
 3.5, 4.6, 12, 23 mm
2.75"/pixel
    
Herschel
(FIRST)		   2007-2010 350 PACS: 60-90|90-130 mm
 & 130-210 mm
SPIRE: 250,350,500 mm
HIFI: 157-625 mm (spec.)		    
4.5
POSS-I
[DPOSS]		 Northern
Sky		 1949-1957,
1961-1970		 122 103aO (blue)
103aF (red)		 1.7"/pixel   ~8
POSS-II Northern
Sky		 1990-1999 122 III-aJ (blue)
III-aF (red)
IVN (near infrared)		 1.0"/pixel mag 22.5
mag 20.8
mag 19.5		 ~9

Atmospheric Light Transmission

The following is a table of atmospheric light transmission extracted from the Mauna Kea Summit data
 
Atmospheric Transmission at Mauna Kea Summit
Filter Wavelength Mean 
(mag/air mass)		 +/- Median 
(mag/air mass)		 n
U
0.36
0.358
 0.008
0.358
 1
B
0.44
0.198
 0.005
0.194
 45
V
0.55
0.119
 0.007
0.111
 52
J
1.25
0.114
 0.006
0.102
 111
H
1.65
0.068
 0.005
0.059
 110
K
2.2
0.096
 0.030
0.088
 156
L
3.4
0.203
 0.030
0.150
 31
L'
3.8
0.112
 0.009
0.093
 96
M
4.8
0.244
 0.016
0.220
 60
N
10
0.184
 0.017
0.151
 50
Q
20
0.503
 0.030
0.451
 43
Z
32
1.398
 0.313
1.140
 6

Lowest Mag / air mass: H < K < L' < J < V < L < N < B < M < U < Q < Z

Sources

Various sources of background interference: Interstellar Gas (from the SDSS Q&A page):
Mihalas and Binney, Galactic Astronomy five basic types of gas:
  • Cold, dense molecular gas (T = 20º K, number density > 1000 particles/cm3): these clouds contain most of the mass of the ISM, but occupy a very small relative volume because they're so cold and dense.
  • Cold gas (T = 100º K, n = 20/cm3): these clouds of primarily neutral atomic gas occupy about 3 times the volume of the colder clouds above.
  • Hot neutral gas (T = 6000º K, n = 0.3/cm3): this gas surrounds the colder clouds and occupies about one fifth of the total ISM volume.
  • Hot ionized gas (T = 8000º K, n > 0.5 /cm3): this gas surrounds hot stars and consists mainly of ionized hydrogen (i.e. protons).
  • Very hot medium (T = 106º K, n = 0.001/cm3): this medium, heated by shock waves from supernovae, occupies most of the volume of the ISM.

    • Infrared Imagers/Focal Plane Arrays

    Microbolometer Research

    A microbolometer is a device which detects infrared radiation by the changes in the temperature in a material caused by the absorption of the infrared photon.  Several groups are working on the creation of microbolomters from combined semiconductor and MEMS methods.

    Infrared Astronomy Group Pages

    Other Related Sources

    Astronomy Index
    Created: February, 1998
    Last Modified: August 29, 2004
    Author: Robert Bradbury