SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) is an airborne observatory created by NASA and the German Space Agency. The observatory is within a modified Boeing 747SP aircraft. Its mobility allows observation of the solar system from any position on the earth. Since the observatory is in the stratosphere, the observing telescope sees infrared light, which scientists use to study the energy levels of different objects in the solar system. Read about discoveries made by SOFIA at SciTechDaily.com.
New research from the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) has shown that the magnetic fields in 30 Doradus — a region of ionized hydrogen…
Once a star evolves beyond the main sequence – the longest stage of stellar evolution, during which the radiation generated by nuclear fusion in a…
A new study using the now-retired Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) has pieced together the first detailed, wide-area map of water distribution on the…
Formation of Massive Star Caught in the Act with Magnetic Field Mapping The stellar nursery where the action is taking place, called BYF 73, is…
Venus is considered Earth’s twin in many ways. However, recent observations made with the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) have now made one difference…
Magnetic Fields Help Black Holes Reach Deeper Into Galaxies Black holes potentially have an even larger influence on the galaxies around them than we thought….
Astronomers discovered something unique using SOFIA, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy. They found a new type of stellar outburst that had never been seen…
Planetary scientists utilized the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), a joint project of NASA and the German Space Agency at DLR, to examine Jupiter’s…
Most stars in spiral galaxies form within the galaxy’s arms. Building the “skeletons” of these galaxies are galactic bones, long filaments that outline the densest…
Because the effects of observing a galaxy at an angle are complex, spiral galaxies are much easier to study if their orientation is just right…
A black hole at the center of a galaxy plays a role in the galaxy’s death, eating up their surrounding dust and gas and not…
SOFIA recently completed a new set of observations of Venus to study the chemical composition of the planet’s atmosphere. Observing Venus was particularly challenging. Venus…
Everything we see in the universe is a snapshot of the past: As light takes its time to reach our telescopes, the system we’re observing…
NGC 7479 – also known as Caldwell 44 – is a barred spiral galaxy, with a bar-shaped center filled with stars, as is characteristic of…
Looking at the ionized carbon emission from Sagittarius B provides critical information about star formation in our own galaxy and beyond. Sagittarius, or Sgr B,…
UMD-led team used NASA’s SOFIA telescope to capture high-resolution details of a star nursery in the Milky Way. University of Maryland researchers created the first…
The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, a joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Center, DLR, has been used extensively to look many objects…
In early 2016, an icy visitor from the edge of our solar system hurtled past Earth. It briefly became visible to stargazers as Comet Catalina…
