Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy News

In a major development, NASA has said that it will announce an exciting new discovery about the Moon on October 26 (Monday). The announcement will be made from the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) at a media teleconference. The audio of the teleconference will stream live on the agency’s website.

The Orion Nebula is among the best observed and most photographed objects in the night sky. It is the closest stellar nursery to Earth, and helps scientists explore how stars form.

This will be the fourth year of full operations for Sofia, short for Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, with observations planned between February 2018 and January 2019.

SOFIA flies above 99 percent of the Earth's water vapour, enabling the research group to characterise the properties of the torus-shaped dust structures at far-infrared wavelengths.

NASA's SOFIA, the world's largest airborne astronomical observatory, recently completed a detailed study of this nearby planetary system.

When a gas cloud collapses on itself, the cloud’s own gravity causes it to contract and the contraction produces heat friction.

Atomic oxygen -- an elemental form of oxygen that does not exist in Earth's atmosphere -- affects how other gases escape Mars and therefore has a significant impact on the planet's atmosphere. 

SOFIA’s instruments observe infrared energy - one part of the electromagnetic spectrum which includes visible light, x-rays, radio waves and others.