NASA Telescopes Reveal an Invisible Infrared Universe

For 40 years, NASA has expanded our view of the universe with space telescopes that detect infrared light, which is invisible to the human eye. Observing the infrared realm helps us study the origins of planets, stars, galaxies, and even the universe itself.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is the agency’s latest infrared space telescope, adding new insights to targets first discovered and studied by infrared missions that came before it.

Infrared space telescope missions have built upon one another to reveal stars, galaxies, and all manner of cosmic objects with ever-increasing clarity. Here you will see images from the pioneering Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), launched in 1983, the Spitzer Space Telescope, launched in 2003, and the James Webb Space Telescope, which launched in 2021 and is sending back extremely detailed images today.

For more information about Webb, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/webb

For more information about Spitzer, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/spitzer

For more information about IRAS, visit: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/infrared-astronomical-satellite-iras

Credits: IRAS images: NASA/Netherlands Agency for Aerospace Programmes/UK Science and Engineering Research Council/JPL-Caltech; Spitzer images: NASA/JPL-Caltech/IPAC; Webb images: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI