Solar System 10 Things: Spitzer Space Telescope
Solar System 10 Things: Spitzer Space Telescope
Our Spitzer Space Telescope is celebrating 15 years since its launch on August 25, 2003. This remarkable spacecraft has made discoveries its designers never even imagined, including some of the seven Earth-size planets of TRAPPIST-1. Here are some key facts about Spitzer:
1. Spitzer is one of our Great Observatories.
Our Great Observatory Program aimed to explore the universe with four large space telescopes, each specialized in viewing the universe in different wavelengths of light. The other Great Observatories are our Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-Ray Observatory, and Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory. By combining data from different kinds of telescopes, scientists can paint a fuller picture of our universe.
2. Spitzer operates in infrared light.
Infrared wavelengths of light, which primarily come from heat radiation, are too long to be seen with human eyes, but are important for exploring space — especially when it comes to getting information about something extremely far away. From turbulent clouds where stars are born to small asteroids close to Earth’s orbit, a wide range of phenomena can be studied in infrared light. Objects too faint or distant for optical telescopes to detect, hidden by dense clouds of space dust, can often be seen with Spitzer. In this way, Spitzer acts as an extension of human vision to explore the universe, near and far.
What’s more, Spitzer doesn’t have to contend with Earth’s atmosphere, daily temperature variations or day-night cycles, unlike ground-based telescopes. With a mirror less than 1 meter in diameter, Spitzer in space is more sensitive than even a 10-meter-diameter telescope on Earth.
3. Spitzer was the first spacecraft to fly in an Earth-trailing orbit.
Rather than circling Earth, as Hubble does, Spitzer orbits the Sun on almost the same path as Earth. But Spitzer moves slower than Earth, so the spacecraft drifts farther away from our planet each year.
This “Earth-trailing orbit” has many advantages. Being farther from Earth than a satellite, it receives less heat from our planet and enjoys a naturally cooler environment. Spitzer also benefits from a wider view of the sky by orbiting the Sun. While its field of view changes throughout the year, at any given time it can see about one-third of the sky. Our Kepler space telescope, famous for finding thousands of exoplanets – planets outside our solar system – also settled in an Earth-trailing orbit six years after Spitzer.
4. Spitzer began in a “cold mission.”
Spitzer has far outlived its initial requirement of 2.5 years. The Spitzer team calls the first 5.5 years “the cold mission” because the spacecraft’s instruments were deliberately cooled down during that time. Liquid helium coolant kept Spitzer’s instruments just a few degrees above absolute zero (which is minus 459 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 273 degrees Celsius) in this first part of the mission.
5. The “warm mission” was still pretty cold.
Spitzer entered what was called the “warm mission” when the 360 liters of liquid helium coolant that was chilling its instruments ran out in May 2009.
At the “warm” temperature of minus 405 Fahrenheit, two of Spitzer’s instruments – the Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) and Multiband Imaging Photometer (MIPS) – stopped working. But two of the four detector arrays in the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) persisted. These “channels” of the camera have driven Spitzer’s explorations since then.
6. Spitzer wasn’t designed to study exoplanets, but made huge strides in this area.
Exoplanet science was in its infancy in 2003 when Spitzer launched, so the mission’s first scientists and engineers had no idea it could observe planets beyond our solar system. But the telescope’s accurate star-targeting system and the ability to control unwanted changes in temperature have made it a useful tool for studying exoplanets. During the Spitzer mission, engineers have learned how to control the spacecraft’s pointing more precisely to find and characterize exoplanets, too.
Using what’s called the “transit method,” Spitzer can stare at a star and detect periodic dips in brightness that happen when a planet crosses a star’s face. In one of its most remarkable achievements, Spitzer discovered three of the TRAPPIST-1 planets and confirmed that the system has seven Earth-sized planets orbiting an ultra-cool dwarf star. Spitzer data also helped scientists determine that all seven planets are rocky, and made these the best-understood exoplanets to date.
Spitzer can also use a technique called microlensing to find planets closer to the center of our galaxy. When a star passes in front of another star, the gravity of the first star can act as a lens, making the light from the more distant star appear brighter. Scientists are using microlensing to look for a blip in that brightening, which could mean that the foreground star has a planet orbiting it. Microlensing could not have been done early in the mission when Spitzer was closer to Earth, but now that the spacecraft is farther away, it has a better chance of measuring these events.
7. Spitzer is a window into the distant past.
The spacecraft has observed and helped discover some of the most distant objects in the universe, helping scientists understand where we came from. Originally, Spitzer’s camera designers had hoped the spacecraft would detect galaxies about 12 billion light-years away. In fact, Spitzer has surpassed that, and can see even farther back in time – almost to the beginning of the universe. In collaboration with Hubble, Spitzer helped characterize the galaxy GN-z11 about 13.4 billion light-years away, whose light has been traveling since 400 million years after the big bang. It is the farthest galaxy known.
8. Spitzer discovered Saturn’s largest ring.
Everyone knows Saturn has distinctive rings, but did you know its largest ring was only discovered in 2009, thanks to Spitzer? Because this outer ring doesn’t reflect much visible light, Earth-based telescopes would have a hard time seeing it. But Spitzer saw the infrared glow from the cool dust in the ring. It begins 3.7 million miles (6 million kilometers) from Saturn and extends about 7.4 million miles (12 million kilometers) beyond that.
9. The “Beyond Phase” pushes Spitzer to new limits.
In 2016, Spitzer entered its “Beyond phase,” with a name reflecting how the spacecraft operates beyond its original scope.
As Spitzer floats away from Earth, its increasing distance presents communication challenges. Engineers must point Spitzer’s antenna at higher angles toward the Sun in order to talk to our planet, which exposes the spacecraft to more heat. At the same time, the spacecraft’s solar panels receive less sunlight because they point away from the Sun, putting more stress on the battery.
The team decided to override some autonomous safety systems so Spitzer could continue to operate in this riskier mode. But so far, the Beyond phase is going smoothly.
10. Spitzer paves the way for future infrared telescopes.
Spitzer has identified areas of further study for our upcoming James Webb Space Telescope, planned to launch in 2021. Webb will also explore the universe in infrared light, picking up where Spitzer eventually will leave off. With its enhanced ability to probe planetary atmospheres, Webb may reveal striking new details about exoplanets that Spitzer found. Distant galaxies unveiled by Spitzer together with other telescopes will also be observed in further detail by Webb. The space telescope we are planning after that, WFIRST, will also investigate long-standing mysteries by looking at infrared light. Scientists planning studies with future infrared telescopes will naturally build upon the pioneering legacy of Spitzer.
Read the web version of this week’s “Solar System: 10 Things to Know” article HERE.
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Gas Giant Classification System
Note: this is a modified version of the Sudarsky Gas Giant Classification System, which is a system proposed by David Sudarsky to classify gas giant planets, such as Jupiter and Saturn.
The system that Sudarsky created classifies gas giant planets based off of the temperature of the planet’s atmosphere’s at 1 bar pressure, and the primary chemical that comprises the planet’s cloud decks. His original system contained 5 different types of gas giants: Ammonia, Water, Cloudless, Alkali Metal, and Silicate Clouds)
I have decided to amend his original classification system to include three additional types of gas planets (Nitrogen-Oxygen, Methane, and Carbon), and I believe this system should apply generally to ice giants as well. These modifications cover more types of gaseous planets under a greater range of temperatures and compositions. Again credit to the original idea is given to David Sudarsky.
Type Ib: Nitrogen-Oxygen Class Gas/ Ice Giant
Nitrogen-Oxygen Gas/Ice Giants are the coldest types of gaseous planet. They have atmospheric temperatures of less than 40 K, (-388 °F) at 1 bar pressure. These planets have atmospheric temperatures low enough that oxygen and nitrogen condense into liquid droplets and ice crystals, and at lower depths in the atmosphere it rains liquid nitrogen and oxygen. In hydrogen depleted gas/ ice giants, the cloud decks may even be composed of crystals and droplets of carbon monoxide.
These planets have a primarily deep blue color, with dull gray/blue cloud bands. The blue color of the atmosphere is due to the presence of liquid nitrogen and oxygen lower in the atmosphere which scatters blue light. Gaseous planets of this class planets are relatively rare. Gas giants of this class only exist if they are extremely old (8+ Billion years) and orbit far from their parent star. Most gas giants emit enough internal heat to be too warm to fit this class, given the age of the universe. Ice giants of this class would be more common due to their smaller size and smaller reservoirs of internal heat. Rogue ice giants occupy most planets of this class.
Type Ia: Methane Class Gas/Ice Giant
Methane Class Gas/Ice Giants occupy a temperature range between 40 K and 90 K (-388 °F and -298 °F). These planet’s have atmospheric temperatures that support the formation of methane clouds. Methane is the primary light scattering chemical which gives the planet a deep blue to cyan color. Examples of this class include both Neptune and Uranus.
Methane Class gas planets orbit far from their parent stars, and often emit as much heat as they receive from the sun. Atmospheric activity is driven almost entirely by internally released heat. Planet’s with less heat often appear bland and almost featureless (i.e. Uranus), while planets that emit significant internal heat, show more pronounced cloud bands and even large cyclonic systems (i.e. Neptune). The hue of the planet is believed to be determined by how much methane is in the atmosphere.
Type I: Ammonia Class Gas/Ice Giant (Original Sudarsky Type I)
Ammonia Class Gas/Ice Giants occupy a temperature range between 90 K and 160 K (-298 °F and -172 °F). These planet’s have atmospheres dominated by ammonia ice crystals. Ammonia is the primary light scattering compound that often gives these planets a brownish hue. Temperatures are warm enough in the atmosphere for complex chemistry to occur, including for formation of tholins and other complex hydrocarbons, along with various other chemical compounds dredged up through convection from the interior. Cloud bands may take on numerous colors including: brown, white, red, orange and yellow.
Ammonia Gas giants include both the planets Jupiter and Saturn. The atmosphere of an ammonia gas planet is extremely turbulent and active due to the increased solar radiation. These planets typically orbit just beyond a star systems frost line (the temperature at which ice will not sublimate in a vacuum), but not far enough for methane clouds form.
Type II: Water Class Gas/Ice Giant (Original Sudarsky Type II)
Water Class Gas/Ice Giants occupy a temperature range between 160 K and 250 K (-172 °F and -10 °F). These planets have atmospheres dominated by water-ice crystals, and their atmosphere experiences liquid water rain at lower depths. If a gaseous planet were to support aerial life, Type II planets would be the perfect candidate. Water-Ice reflects a lot of the sunlight making these planets extremely bright with high reflective albedos.
No Water Class Gas or Ice giants exist within the solar system, but examples include: Upsilon Andromedae D or PH2B. Type II planets orbit from the middle of the habitable zone out to the edge of the frost line. Type II gaseous planets orbiting within a system’s habitable zone may have large Earth-like satellites in orbit that are capable of supporting life.
Type IIa: Sulfur Class Gas/Ice Giant
Sulfur Class Gas/Ice Giants occupy a temperature range between 250 K and 350 K (-10 °F and 170 °F). These planets have atmospheres dominated by hydrogen sulfide and sulfur. Cloud decks are composed of crystals of hydrogen sulfide and sulfur-dust. These planets have complex upper atmospheric chemistry dominated by sulfur bearing compounds, and have a composition similar to the clouds of Venus. Atomic sulfur dust in the atmosphere gives the planet’s a distinct yellow hue, and is the result of ultraviolet radiation breaking down hydrogen sulfide though a process called photodissociation.
Sulfur Class Gas/Ice Giants orbit between the center of a system’s habitable zone and a system’s Venus Zone. The atmosphere’s of Type IIa planets are extremely active which cyclonic systems, sharp cloud bands, and chaotic polar regions. As with Type II Gas/Ice Giants, Type IIa planets orbiting within a system’s habitable zone may support Earth-like moons in orbit.
Type III: Cloudless Glass Gas/Ice Giant (Original Sudarsky Type III)
Cloudless Class Gas/Ice Giants occupy a temperature range between 350 K and 800 K (170 °F and 980 °F). These planets have atmospheres that do not lie within a temperature range of any common compounds to exist as either ice crystals of liquid droplets. Methane deep in the atmosphere give the planets a blueish green hue from the scattering of blue light. Due to the lack of clouds, the banding is faint and muted in appearance. Varying concentrations of sulfides and chlorides between the individual weather zones give each band a slightly different hue. If high concentrations of sulfur are present, these planets may take on a violet or purple color from the formation of diatomic sulfur molecules.
Cloudless Class Gas/Ice Giants orbit between roughly a mercury equivalent orbit and the inner edge of the Venus Zone. The atmosphere despite it’s faded appearance, experiences powerful winds and extremely stormy weather. Roughly half of these type of planets orbit close enough to their parent stars to be tidally locked.
Type IV: Alkali Metal Class Gas/Ice Giant (Original Sudarsky Type IV)
Alkali Metal Class Gas/Ice Giants occupy a temperature range between 800 K and 1,400 K (980 °F and 2,060 °F). At these temperatures carbon monoxide becomes the dominate carbon-carrying molecule instead of methane. Metals such as sodium and potassium become more common in the atmosphere, condensing into cloud decks. Additionally clouds containing titanium dioxide and vanadium oxide may also form. Type IV planets typically have a monochromatic color, but some may have hues of dark green or dark red, depending on the composition of the clouds. Most have a very low reflective albedo, reflecting less than 5% of the sunlight they receive.
Alkali Metal Class Gas/Ice Giants orbit close to their parent stars, and most are tidally locked to their sun. Extremely violent weather occurs within the atmosphere, and most experience wind speeds of over 1,000 mph. The increased heat also increases the overall diameter of the planet; therefore, Type IV planets are often larger than Types Ib - Type III of the same mass.
Type V: Ferro-Silicate Class Gas/Ice Giant (Original Sudarsky Type V)
Ferro-Sillicate Class Gas/Ice Giants occupy a temperature range between 1,400 K and 2,800 K (2,060 °F and 4,580 °F). These planets are viewed of as the traditional examples of either a Hot Jupiter or Hot Neptune. Temperatures are hot enough that cloud decks of silicates and iron form in the upper atmosphere. It is not uncommon for molten iron and molten glass rain to occur within the atmosphere. The color of these planets varies wildly depending on whether silicates or iron are more common. Type V planets with silicates dominating the cloud decks will appear bright azure blue in color from liquid droplets of glass scattering blue light. Type V planets where iron dominates the cloud decks will have a more gray-red color. The atmosphere is so hot that it glows a dull red.
Ferro-Silicate Gas/Ice Giants orbit very close to their parent stars with orbital periods of a few days or less and are tidally locked to the sun. Their diameters are puffed up by the intense solar radiation, and the planets often have unusually low average densities, lower than that of even Saturn. Weather is wild in the atmosphere, with winds blowing in excess of 2,000 mph. The winds are so fast and transport heat so efficiently that the night side is almost as hot as the day side despite being in perpetual darkness. A prime example of this planet type would be 51 Pegasi B. (Note this was the first type of planet discovered orbiting a sun-like star outside of our solar system). Due to the close proximity to their parent stars, these planets are constantly loosing atmospheric gasses, and appear almost comet-like from the distance.
Type VI: Carbon Class Gas/Ice Giant
Carbon Class Gas/Ice giants occupy a temperature range above 2,800 K (4,580 °F), and are considered to be the rarest type of planet. These planets have cloud decks composed of carbon. Cloud decks of solid carbon crystals will be composed of graphite, while at deeper depths liquid diamond rain will occur. Above 2,800 K most chemical compounds break down into their constituent elements, and the atmosphere of these planets have more in common with that of a star than a planet. The atmosphere is primarily black in color, reflecting less than 1% of the light the planet receives. The planet is only visible because temperatures are hot enough that the atmosphere and clouds glow dim red in color.
Type VI planets orbit close enough to their parent stars that they have orbital periods of less than a day, are tidally locked to the sun, and lose thousands of tons of their atmospheres every second. Very weird chemical reactions occur at the boundary line with the night side, where chemicals such as water are broken into hydrogen and oxygen during the day, and re-condense into water vapor at night. Ice giants of this class would only be short-lived since they are not massive enough to retain their hydrogen-helium atmospheres for more than a few tens of millions of years. Carbon-Class Gas giants can be the largest planets in terms of diameter, their size extremely bloated by intense solar radiation.
This is merely my input on classifying giant type planets, which I use in my hobby of designing my own star systems. If anyone has anything to add, please feel free to do so.
Pictures of the day - November 24, 2018
Venus-like world with two moons in orbit. I had to use the editor in Space Engine to get a true Venus-Like appearance for this world.
I am not a fan of how some of the planets appear in the game, luckily an editor is provided in order to make some of these worlds appear more realistic.
Space Engine System ID: RS 5581-42-1-2-487 2
High Resolution Pictures
Venus Analog
Two moons
Stormy planet
Closeup
Picture of the Day - December 30, 2018
Globular cluster. Almost 10,000 stars packed into a sphere just 100 light years across.
Picture of the day 2 - November 22, 2019
Densely packed sky of an airless world within the M59 galaxy. The planet’s dark rings obscure some of the stars.
Behold Tharsis Montes, three massive shield volcanoes in the Tharsis region of Mars. In this illustration by Dutch artist Kees Veenenbos, using data from NASA’s Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter, we can see the volcanoes Arsia Mons, Pavonis Mons and Ascraeus Mons, southwest to northeast.
(Space 4 Case)
Insight A System (Outer 4 Planets)
Here are the outer 4 planets orbiting Insight A. Each planet has a large ring systems.
Insight A-VI (0.65 Earth masses, Water World with life, 1.10 AU)
Insight A-VII (3.10 Earth masses, Cold Desert World, 1.97 AU)
Insight A-VIII (15.46 Earth Masses, Ice Giant, 4.01 AU)
Insight A-IX (17.40 Earth Masses, Ice Giant, 7.34 AU)
Space Engine System ID: RS-5581-42-6-76887-1116 A
Another Moon Shot
Picture of the day - October 26, 2018
A large moon against the backdrop of a stunningly colorful gas giant and it’s rings.
First pictures from the M59 galaxy. Here I come across a 7 planet system orbiting an orange giant. All the planets in this system are experiencing the effects of the expanding sun, and orbit relatively close to the sun. The outer-most ice giant orbits just 3.62 AU from the sun.
Space Engine System ID: RS-5581-21-3-270-585
I just unfortunately found out that Tumblr does not allow posts with links in them to show up on searches. This is very problematic for me since I like posting 4K resolution pics on here. Anyone have any suggestions on how to keep Tumblr from reducing image sizes so I do not have to add links to my posts?
High Resolution Pics
Partially molten moon
Galaxy NGC 4429 photo bombs this moon shot.
Molten world
Rising giant
Burnt desert
Solar Atmosphere
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My Space Engine Adventures, also any space related topic or news. www.spaceengine.org to download space engine. The game is free by the way. Please feel free to ask me anything, provide suggestions on systems to visit or post any space related topic.Check out my other blog https://bunsandsharks.tumblr.com for rabbit and shark blog.
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