Video

Launched on January 25, 1983, the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) was the first space-based infrared telescope, and it revolutionized astronomy. From engineering innovations to technical breakthroughs in data processing, IRAS accomplished many feats, including producing the first-ever images of the infrared sky from space. The telescope helped kickstart modern-day infrared astronomy and paved the way for follow-on observatories, like Spitzer and JWST.   

In an interview with Caltech IPAC Director George Helou, we celebrate the telescope’s legacy.   

Directed by: Isabel Swafford

Produced by: Keith Miller, Robert Hurt, Gordon Squires 

Special thanks to George Helou and Chas Beichman  

Meet the Infrared Telescopes That Paved the Way for JWST: 

NASA JPL Feature

Caltech-IPAC Feature

Raphael Kudela specializes in phytoplankton dynamics such as harmful algal bloom in the Eastern Pacific Ocean coastal region, specifically central California, and find new applications for remote sensing technology. He is also part of a multi-institution program (the Central and Northern California Ocean Observing System) which aims to make ocean information available to the public. He has developed Harmful Algal Bloom monitoring tools for the California Department of Public Health and is well known for his impactful research in this ever important realm of research.

Filmed, edited and produced by Isabel Swafford and Roxanne Hoorn for the University of California, Santa Cruz. 

Have you ever wondered what it's like to discover a brand new world?

In the last few decades, we've found over 5,000 planets outside our solar system, called exoplanets--and there are likely millions, if not billions, more!

Join Dr. Jessie Christiansen, Lead Scientist at the NASA Exoplanet Archive at Caltech IPAC as she interviews the brilliant minds behind the discovery of new planets in Explore Exoplanets: The Discoverers. Hear about their eureka moments and their favorite fictional planets, which Jessie will match to their closest real-world counterparts in the NASA Exoplanet Archive. Come explore the cosmos, one exoplanet at a time!

Creative team: Dr. Varoujan Gorjian, Marcy Harbut, Isabel Swafford and Juan Vargas for ExploreAstro by Caltech IPAC.