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This digital document is an article from Science News, published by Science Service, Inc. on May 23, 2009. The length of the article is 773 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Seeing better: in 400 years, telescopes advance from rooftops to mountains to orbit.(YEAR OF ASTRONOMY)(Chronology)
Author: Unavailable
Publication: Science News (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 23, 2009
Publisher: Science Service, Inc.
Volume: 175Issue: 11Page: 20(2)

Article Type: Chronology

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This comprehensive CD-ROM provides the complete story of NASA's Space Infra Red Telescope Facility (SIRTF), a space-borne, cryogenically cooled infrared observatory capable of studying objects ranging from our Solar System to the distant reaches of the Universe. SIRTF is the final element in NASA's Great Observatories Program, and an important scientific and technical cornerstone of the new Astronomical Search for Origins Program. Launched in August 2003, this telescope has an estimated lifetime of a minimum of 2.5 years, with a goal of over 5 years. SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space between wavelengths of 3 and 180 microns (1 micron is one millionth of a meter). Most of this infrared radiation is blocked by the Earth's atmosphere and cannot be observed from the ground. Consisting of a 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically-cooled science instruments, SIRTF will be the largest infrared telescope ever launched into space. Its highly sensitive instruments will give us a unique view of the Universe and allow us to peer into regions of space which are hidden from optical telescopes. Many areas of space are filled with vast, dense clouds of gas and dust which block our view. Infrared light, however can penetrate these clouds, allowing us to peer into regions of star formation, the centers of galaxies, and into newly forming planetary systems. Infrared also brings us information about the cooler objects in space, such as smaller stars which are too dim to be detected by their visible light, extrasolar planets, and giant molecular clouds. Also, many molecules in space, including organic molecules, have their unique signatures in the infrared. Because infrared is primarily heat radiation, the telescope must be cooled to near absolute zero (-459 degrees Fahrenheit or -273 degrees Celsius) so that it can observe infrared signals from space without interference from the telescope's own heat. Also, the telescope must be protected from the heat of the Sun and the infrared radiation put out by the Earth. To do this, SIRTF will carry a solar shield and will be launched into an Earth-trailing solar orbit. This unique orbit will carry SIRTF far enough away from the Earth to allow the telescope to cool rapidly without having to carry large amounts of cryogen (coolant).

In all, this CD-ROM has over 22,000 pages reproduced using Adobe Acrobat PDF software - allowing direct viewing on Windows and Apple Macintosh systems. Reader software is included on the CD. There is no other reference that is as fast, convenient, comprehensive, and portable.

Our CD-ROMs are privately-compiled collections of official public domain U.S. government files and documents - they are not produced by the federal government. They are designed to provide a convenient user-friendly reference work, utilizing the benefits of the Acrobat format to uniformly present thousands of pages that can be rapidly reviewed or printed without untold hours of tedious searching and downloading. Vast archives of important public domain government information that might otherwise remain inaccessible are available for instant review no matter where you are. This book-on-a-disc makes a great reference work and educational tool. ... Read more

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This up-to-date and comprehensive set of two CD-ROMs provides a superb guide to the images and observations of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, launched by NASA and operated by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Thousands of genuinely stunning photographs taken by the observatory are presented. Over 450 image files in JPG and GIF format are provided for use in any computer graphics program, and twenty computer video movie clips are also included.

Images and observations of many types of astronomical targets are included:

SupernovaePulsarsNeutron StarsQuasarsGalaxiesClustersBlack HolesMilky Way Galaxy

The Chandra X-ray Observatory, launched by Space Shuttle Columbia on July 23, 1999, is NASA's newest Great Observatory. Chandra detects and images X- ray sources that are billions of light years away. The mirrors on Chandra are the largest, most precisely shaped and aligned, and smoothest mirrors ever constructed. If the surface of Earth was as smooth as the Chandra mirrors, the highest mountain would be less than six feet tall! The images Chandra makes are twenty-five times sharper than the best previous X-ray telescope. This focusing power is equivalent to the ability to read a newspaper at a distance of half a mile. Chandra's improved sensitivity is making possible more detailed studies of black holes, supernovae, and dark matter. Chandra will increase our understanding of the origin, evolution, and destiny of the universe.

In all, the disc has nearly 6000 pages reproduced using Adobe Acrobat PDF software - allowing direct viewing on Windows and Apple Macintosh systems. Reader software is included on the CD.

Our CD-ROMs are privately-compiled collections of official public domain U.S. federal government files and documents. They are designed to provide a convenient user-friendly reference work utilizing the benefits of the Adobe Acrobat format to uniformly present thousands of pages that can be rapidly reviewed, searched by finding specific words, or printed without untold hours of tedious research and downloading. Vast archives of important public domain government information that might otherwise remain inaccessible are available for instant review no matter where you are. This book-on-a-disc makes a great reference work and educational tool.There is no other reference that is as fast, convenient, comprehensive, and portable - everything you need to know, from the federal sources you trust. ... Read more

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This comprehensive CD-ROM provides the complete story of the planned James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the scientific and technological successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. With a 6-meter class segmented active optic primary deployable mirror, and three major instruments (Near-Infrared Multi-Object Spectrometer, Near-Infrared Camera, Mid-Infrared Camera/Spectrometer), this major observatory will be placed in orbit at Lagrange Point 2 (1.5-million km or 940,000 miles from Earth). JWST will allow us to see even farther into space than is currently possible with Hubble and help us analyze the miniscule specks of light that Hubble cannot even detect. These nascent stars and galaxies are so distant that by the time their light reaches us, it has stretched into the longer, redder wavelength bands and is invisible to the human eye. JWST is the centerpiece of the NASA Origins Program:

Born of the extraordinary accomplishments of 20th century physics, astronomy, geology, and biology, the Origins program takes up the challenge of answering questions as old as our species. Where did we come from? Are we alone? When the answers to these questions are known, our civilizations will evolve new visions of who we are and what our futures might be. Already we have learned enough to appreciate that the universe is enormous and ancient, but life tiny and transient is its precious jewel. In the first few decades of this new century astronomers will largely complete the study of cosmology: the description of the universe on the largest scales and how it works. With the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) we will also begin to write the final chapter of the story of galaxies, witnessing the actual birth of these continents of stars. In particular we will chart the13-billion-year history of the Milky Way Galaxy we inhabit, understanding how the materials for new stars, planets, and life were generated and distributed. SIRTF and JWST will also lead the way in studying the birth of stars with their families of planets, moons, comets, and asteroids, the cosmic Petri dish of life. Led by the Terrestrial Planet Finder, we will peer one-by-one at ourhundreds of nearest neighbor stars and inventory their planets, searching for solar systems resembling our own with a balmy, wet planet like Earth.

JWST, Planet Finder, Keck Interferometer, and the Origins Program are comprehensive covered, with dozens of program documents, photographs, charts, and tables.

In all, this CD-ROM has over 17,000 pages reproduced using Adobe Acrobat PDF software - allowing direct viewing on Windows and Apple Macintosh systems. Reader software is included on the CD. There is no other reference that is as fast, convenient, comprehensive, and portable.

Our CD-ROMs are privately-compiled collections of official public domain U.S. government files and documents - they are not produced by the federal government. They are designed to provide a convenient user-friendly reference work, utilizing the benefits of the Acrobat format to uniformly present thousands of pages that can be rapidly reviewed or printed without untold hours of tedious searching and downloading. Vast archives of important public domain government information that might otherwise remain inaccessible are available for instant review no matter where you are. This book-on-a-disc makes a great reference work and educational tool. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Winnipeg Free Press, published by Thomson Gale on November 4, 2007. The length of the article is 466 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Stargazers ponder the mystery of Comet Holmes.(City)
Author: Gale Reference Team
Publication: Winnipeg Free Press (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 4, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Page: a3

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This digital document is an article from Winnipeg Free Press, published by Thomson Gale on June 22, 2007. The length of the article is 628 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Canadian leads advance to moon-based telescope.(Canada Wire)
Author: Gale Reference Team
Publication: Winnipeg Free Press (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 22, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Page: a14

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Product Description
Blast off into space with these introductory titles on the planets, Sun, Moon, and comets. Young, inquisitive readers will learn facts about each planet and their part in the solar system. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great book for the 4 to 6 age group (give or take).
My 5 year old is really interested in outer space and the planets.I purchased this book along with The Sun, The Moon, and the Little Big Box of Planets:And Pluto, Too!He loves them!And he's not the only one.Every time I read these books, and I have read them REPEATEDLY, I am always amazed by some fact.I would highly recommend this book and any of the books in this series. ... Read more

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Describes the physical features of planet Earth and the forces--such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and erosion--that help shape them. ... Read more

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Presented in a newspaper-style format, this book provides children with information about space, covering all the major developments from Ancient Greece to the Mars landings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The History News: In Space
This science fact book is a history of space exploration from Ptolemy to the X-33, done in short, newspaper comumn-like articles with picture insets.(It passed the Gabe and Isaac test, too.)Excellent colorillustrations and is recommended for the 2nd through the 6th grade level. ... Read more