Airborne observatory data maps Orion Nebula

Abstract

A map of the Orion Nebula that demonstrates newly formed stars not visible to the naked eye has been created by using infrared data from the Gerard P. Kuiper Airborne Observatory. These stars have been under study by infrared astronomers since their discovery some 15 years ago. Infrared observations have shown total power output of this group of very young stars to be more than 100,000 times the power of the sun.The Kuiper Airborne Observatory is actually a Lockheed C‐141 Starlifter aircraft equipped with a 91.5‐cm aperture Cassegrain‐type reflector telescope installed in an open cavity recessed into the port side of the aircraft immediately ahead of the wing. The telescope can be moved in flight over an elevation range of 35°–75°. It is capable of tracking celestial objects to an accuracy of less than 2 arc seconds by use of precision gyroscopes and an active digital tracking system. The team aboard the Kuiper included astronomers from the California Institute of Technology, the University of Hawaii and the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope.