Great Observatories

NASA's four major orbiting observatories launched between 1990 and 2003. In chronological order of launch, they are: the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), observing at ultraviolet and optical wavelengths; the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO); the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, which originally was to form part of the more ambitious Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility (see AXAF); and the Spitzer Space Telescope, formerly known as the Space Infrared Telescope Facility. Of the four satellites, only the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory had ended its mission by the start of 2005. In June 2004 NASA announced that the three Great Observatories still in orbit would collaborate with the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton satellite and some of the best groundbased observatories on a survey of deep sky objects called the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS). This survey will focus on two 150-square-arcminute portions of sky, one in the center of the Hubble Deep Field North, the other in the Chandra Deep Field South. GOODS will provide a multi-wavelength analysis of these regions to supply us with a rich legacy of data that will extend our knowledge about the remote and early universe.

Collins Dictionary of Astronomy © Market House Books Ltd, 2006

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References in periodicals archive

GOODS (itself an acronym: Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey) is another campaign that performed the first observations of some GREATS targets.

How Ancient Galaxies Lit Up the Universe

To identify the far-flung galaxies and study them in detail, the research team used three of the largest Hubble programs, the 3D-HST survey, the Cosmic Assembly Near-infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey and the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey.

Hubble reveals first pics of Milky Way galaxy's formative years

Although NASA's Great Observatories had surveyed and examined the sky from gamma rays (Compton) to the infrared (Spitzer), the UV window was virgin territory.

Galaxies seen in a new light

The second of NASA's Great Observatories, the science satellite was at the time the heaviest astrophysical payload ever placed in orbit by a shuttle, and the delicate operation ended up requiring an unplanned spacewalk to fully deploy the observatory.

Last shuttle flight closes chapter at UNH

If it's an in-depth history of telescopes and observatories which is needed to fill a college-level or even a public library holding, it should be the weighty and visually stunning GREAT OBSERVATORIES OF THE WORLD (1554070554 $59.95), which tells the history and development of nearly 40 of the world's preeminent observatories, 10 space-based observatories, and 11 notable telescopes and arrays.

Firefly Books

The telescope is part of Nasa's series of what it calls its Great Observatories, which also includes the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the Spitzer Space Telescope.

Hubble space telescope

The last of the great observatories; Spitzer and the era of faster, better, cheaper at NASA.

The Last of the Great Observatories: Spitzer and the Era of Faster, Better, Cheaper at NASA

If it's an in-depth history of telescopes and observatories which is needed to fill a college-level or even a public library holding, it should be the weighty and visually stunning GREAT OBSERVATORIES OF THE WORLD, which tells the history and development of nearly 40 of the world's preeminent observatories, 10 space-based observatories, and 11 notable telescopes and arrays.

Great Observatories of the World