Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 16:31, 18 November 2022

Revision as of 01:43, 30 January 2023

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NICMOS was conceived and designed by the NICMOS Instrument Definition Team centered at [[Steward Observatory]], [[University of Arizona]], USA. NICMOS is an imager and spectrometer built by [[Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.]] that allows the HST to observe [[infrared light]], with [[wavelength]]s between 0.8 and 2.4 micrometers, providing imaging and slitless spectrophotometric capabilities. NICMOS contains three near-infrared detectors in three optical channels providing high (~ 0.1 arcsecond) resolution, coronagraphic and polarimetric imaging, and slitless spectroscopy in 11-, 19-, and 52-arcsecond square fields of view. Each optical channel contains a 256×256 pixel [[photodiode]] array of [[mercury cadmium telluride]] [[infrared detector]]s bonded to a sapphire substrate, read out in four independent 128×128 quadrants.<ref>{{cite journal|first1=Chris J. |last1=Skinner|first2= Louis E. |display-authors=4 |last2=Bergeron |first3=Alfred B. |last3=Schultz |first4=John W. |last4=MacKenty|first5= A. |last5=Storrs|first6= Wolfram |last6=Freudling|first7= D. |last7=Axon|first8= Howard A. |last8=Bushouse|first9= Daniela |last9=Calzetti|author9-link= Daniela Calzetti |first10= L. |last10=Colina|first11= D. |last11=Daou|first12= D. |last12=Gilmore|first13= Sherie T. |last13=Holfeltz|first14= Joan |last14=Najita|first15= Keith |last15=Noll|first16= Christine E. |last16=Ritchie|first17= William B. |last17=Sparks |first18=A. |last18=Suchkov|editor1-first=Albert M|editor1-last=Fowler|title=On-orbit properties of the NICMOS detectors on HST|journal=Proc. SPIE|volume= 3354|date=1998| doi=10.1117/12.317208 |pages=2–13 |url=http://www.stsci.edu/hst/nicmos/documents/papers/schultz_spie.pdf|series=Infrared Astronomical Instrumentation|bibcode=1998SPIE.3354....2S|s2cid=5778753}}</ref>

NICMOS last worked in 2008, and<ref>{{cite hasweb|title=HST beenLegacy largely{{clarifyInstruments|url=https://www.stsci.edu/hst/instrumentation/legacy|publisher=Space Telescope Science Institute|access-date=MayJanuary 29, 20202023}}</ref> and has been largely replaced by the infrared channel of [[Wide Field Camera 3]] after its installation in 2009.<ref>{{citationcite neededweb|title=Hibernating instrument on Hubble roused as engineers ponder message problem|url=https://www.theregister.com/2021/11/05/hubble_nicmos/|publisher=TheRegister.com|access-date=MayJanuary 29, 20202023}}</ref>

==Limitations==

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NICMOS was noted for its performance in Near-infrared space astronomy, in particular its ability to see objects through dust.<ref name="spaceflightnow.com"/> It was used for about 23 months after it was installed, its life limited by set amount of cryo-coolant, and then later it was used for several years when a new cryo-cooler was installed in 2002.<ref name="spaceflightnow.com"/> NICMOS combined near infrared performance with a large mirror.<ref name="spaceflightnow.com"/>

NICMOS allowed investigation of high [[redshift]] galaxies and [[quasar]]s with high spatial resolution, which was especially useful when analyzed in conjunction with other instruments such as the STIS, and it also allowed deeper investigation of stellar populations.<ref>http{{cite web|title=NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #4287|url=https://cdsspaceref.cern.chcom/recordstatus-report/439513nasa-hubble-space-telescope-daily-report-4287/files/0005495.pdf|date=January {{Bare29, URL PDF2007|website=spaceref.com|access-date=MarchJanuary 29, 20222023}}</ref> In planetary science, NICMOS was used to discover an impact basin on the south pole of the asteroid [[4 Vesta]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Edward C. Blair|title=Asteroids: Overview, Abstracts, and Bibliography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oa289IxCvAAC&pg=PA115|year=2002|publisher=Nova Publishers|isbn=978-1-59033-482-9|page=115}}</ref> (4 Vesta was later visited by [[Dawn (spacecraft)]] in the 2010s which investigated it more closely by orbiting it.)<ref>{{Cite web|title=4 Vesta |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/asteroids/4-vesta/in-depth |date=December 19, 2019 |access-date=2020-09-07|website=NASA Solar System Exploration}}</ref>

In 2009, an old NICMOS image was processed to show a predicted [[exoplanet]] around the star [[HR 8799]].<ref name=exoplanets/> The system is thought to be about 130 [[light-years]] from Earth.<ref name=exoplanets/>