SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy)
41 article(s)
Magnetic Field May Be Keeping Milky Way’s Black Hole Quiet
June 12, 2019
Supermassive black holes exist at the center of most galaxies, and our Milky Way is no exception. But…
Comet Provides New Clues to Origins of Earth’s Oceans
May 25, 2019
The mystery of why Earth has so much water, allowing our “blue marble” to support an astounding array…
The Universe’s First Type of Molecule Is Found at Last
April 19, 2019 
The first type of molecule that ever formed in the universe has been detected in space for the…
SOFIA Follows the Sulfur for Clues on Stellar Evolution
April 11, 2019
The high-flying SOFIA telescope is shedding light on where some of the basic building blocks for life may…
SOFIA Captures Cosmic Light Show of Star Formation
March 30, 2019
When massive stars — many times larger than our Sun— are born, they shine hot and bright before…
Weighing Galactic Wind Provides Clues to Evolution of Galaxies
March 6, 2019
The Cigar Galaxy (M82) is famous for its extraordinary speed in making new stars, with stars being born…
SOFIA Uncovers Clues to the Evolution of Universe and Search for Life
February 21, 2019
A compilation of scientific results from The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, SOFIA, reveal new clues to how…
Lifting the Veil on Star Formation in the Orion Nebula
January 29, 2019
The stellar wind from a newborn star in the Orion Nebula is preventing more new stars from forming…
NASA Telescopes Take a Close Look at the Brightest Comet of 2018
December 21, 2018
As the brilliant comet 46P/Wirtanen streaked across the sky, NASA telescopes caught it on camera from multiple angles.…
History of Airborne Astronomy at NASA
September 26, 2018
Sixty years ago, in 1958, NASA was founded as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The agency has…
What Stars Will Hatch From The Tarantula Nebula? NASA’s Flying Observatory Seeks to Find Out
January 13, 2018
To have a full picture of the lives of massive stars, researchers need to study them in all…
New SOFIA Observations Help Unravel Mysteries of the Birth of Colossal Suns
January 11, 2018
Astronomers are observing star-forming regions in our galaxy with NASA’s flying telescope, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy,…
Astronomy from the Stratosphere: Results from NASA’s SOFIA Airborne Telescope
January 10, 2018
Astronomers from NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, SOFIA, Northwestern University, and the University of Maryland were on…
What is the Radial Velocity Method?
December 23, 2017 
Welcome back to our series on Exoplanet-Hunting methods! Today, we look at another widely-used and popular method of…
Does New Horizons’ Next Target Have a Moon?
December 13, 2017
Scientists were already excited to learn this summer that New Horizons’ next flyby target – a Kuiper Belt…
Catching the Shadow of a Neptunian Moon
October 2, 2017
Researchers on the flying observatory SOFIA, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, are preparing for a two-minute opportunity…
An Eclipse by Any Other Name: Doing Science with Transits and Occultations
August 18, 2017
An otherworldly atmosphere takes hold when a total solar eclipse blocks the Sun’s light, yet the mechanics of…
SOFIA to Make Advance Observations of Next New Horizons Flyby Object
July 11, 2017
On July 10, researchers using NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, will attempt to study the…
New Horizons Team Digs into New Data on Next Flyby Target
June 14, 2017
It was the most technically-challenging and complex stellar occultation observation campaign ever attempted: At least 54 observing teams…
SOFIA Finds Cool Dust Around Energetic Active Black Holes
June 14, 2017
Researchers at the University of Texas San Antonio using observations from NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, SOFIA,…
SOFIA Confirms Nearby Planetary System is Similar to Our Own
May 3, 2017
NASA’s flying observatory, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, SOFIA, recently completed a detailed study of a nearby…
Don’t Judge an Asteroid by its Cover: Mid-infrared Data from SOFIA Shows Ceres’ True Composition
January 20, 2017
New observations show that Ceres, the largest body in the asteroid belt, does not appear to have the…
NASA Flying Observatory Makes Observations of Jupiter Previously Only Possible from Space
January 6, 2017
For the first time since the twin Voyager spacecraft missions in 1979, scientists have produced far-infrared maps of…
Moth’s Eye Inspires Critical Component on SOFIA’s Newest Instrument
December 21, 2016
Nature, and more particularly a moth’s eye, inspired the technology that allows a new NASA-developed camera to create…
NASA’s Flying Observatory Expanding New Frontiers in the Solar System and Beyond
November 16, 2016
NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, SOFIA, will soon be studying Neptune’s giant moon, Triton, and following-up on…
SOFIA Detects Collapsing Clouds Becoming Young Suns
October 7, 2016
Researchers on board NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, SOFIA, observed the collapse of portions of six interstellar…
“Kitchen Smoke” Molecules in Nebula Offer Clues to the Building Blocks of Life
August 17, 2016
Using data collected by NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) and other observatories, an international team of…
Gluttonous Star May Hold Clues to Planet Formation
June 15, 2016
In 1936, the young star FU Orionis began gobbling material from its surrounding disk of gas and dust…
SOFIA Begins Fourth Year of Observations Targeting Planets, Asteroids, Stars, Galaxies, and More
February 20, 2016
NASA’s “flying” telescope, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) aboard a highly modified Boeing 747SP jetliner, began…
SOFIA Finds Missing Link Between Supernovae and Planet Formation
March 20, 2015
Using NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), an international scientific team discovered that supernovae are capable of…
- Professor assists NASA mission to measure disks that give birth to planets
December 4, 2017
- NASA Begins Testing of New Spectrograph on Agency’s Airborne Observatory
June 4, 2014
- NASA Begins Search for Potential SOFIA Partners
April 2, 2014 - SOFIA Snapshots: Jupiter And Starbirth Among Achievements For Observatory Facing Sidelines
March 6, 2014 - Flying SOFIA Telescope To Be Shelved For ‘Higher-Priority’ Programs Like Cassini
March 6, 2014 - SOFIA Target of Opportunity: Observing Supernova 2014J
March 4, 2014 - NASA Observatory Selects Educator Teams for 2014 Science Flights
January 9, 2014 - SOFIA Airborne Observatory in New Zealand—Much Attempted, Much Achieved
August 14, 2013 - NASA’s Sofia Investigates the Southern Sky from New Zealand
July 19, 2013 - Sofia Observations Reveal a Surprise in Massive Star Formation
April 17, 2013 - SOFIA Spots Recent Starbursts in The Milky Way Galaxy’s Center
January 9, 2013
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