Public domain
The 2.5-meter infrared telescope in the rear fuselage of NASA's SOFIA flying observatory tracked the star Polaris during characterization tests in March 2008
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About this work
The SOFIA telescope team collected baseline operational measurements during several nights of characterization testing in March 2008 while the SOFIA 747SP aircraft that houses the German-built infrared telescope was parked on an unlit ramp next to its hangar at the NASA Dryden Flight Operations Facility in Palmdale, Calif. The primary celestial target was Polaris, the North Star.
NASA Image and Video Library’s own descriptionSubjects
Credit lineThe 2.5-meter infrared telescope in the rear fuselage of NASA's SOFIA flying observatory tracked the star Polaris during characterization tests in March 2008. NASA/AFRC, 2008-03-10. Public domain. ID: ED08-0067-24.