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

Revision as of 02:09, 10 June 2020

Revision as of 02:12, 10 June 2020

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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://cds.cern.ch/record/439513/files/0005495.pdf]</ref> In planetary science, NICMOS was used to discover an impact basin on the {{Clarify span|bottom asteroid|is Vesta a "bottom asteroid" (and what is that), or is this intended to say "bottom of asteroid" (and should that be called the south pole instead)?|date=June 2020}} [[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)

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/>