NASA Infrared Telescope Facility, Infrared observatory at Mauna Kea, US
The NASA Infrared Telescope Facility is an infrared observatory on Mauna Kea with a 3-meter telescope designed to observe celestial bodies. The instrument captures heat radiation from distant objects that remain invisible to conventional optical telescopes.
The facility began operations in 1979 to support NASA's Voyager missions. It later became the national center for infrared astronomy research in the United States.
The telescope operates within Mauna Kea Science Reserve, sharing space with twelve other astronomical facilities that form a global research network in Hawaii.
Observation time is shared among research facilities, with roughly half reserved for planetary studies. Visitors should know the site sits at high altitude and access may be restricted.
The telescope can detect heat signatures from objects millions of light-years away, revealing hidden information about cosmic structures. This ability helps researchers study phenomena linked to thermal radiation.
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