An Introduction to the SOFIA Airborne Observatory

Séminaire IPAG de Hans Zinnecker (Sofia Obs.), jeudi 27 février 2014 à 11h00, IPAG seminar room

SOFIA, short for Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, is a Boeing 747SP aircraft with a 2.7m telescope flying as high as 45000 ft in the stratosphere above 99 percent of the precipitable water vapor. SOFIA normally operates from its base in Palmdale, California, and a typical observing flight lasts for 10 hours before returning to base. In this talk, I will present a few highlights of SOFIA early science and its future potential, when the full suite of 7 instruments will be implemented by the time of full operations in 2015. As Herschel ran out of cryogens in April 2013, SOFIA will be the premier FIR-astronomical facility for many years to come. Indeed SOFIA will offer many opportunities for Herschel follow-up. It is also important to explore the synergies of SOFIA with ALMA, APEX, and last but not least perhaps with IRAM.