Follow Astronomy's Breakthroughs on Twitter - Part 2

Twitter's exploding popularity means that almost anyone can find a niche to follow. Astronomy buffs are no exception. We've already looked at the rovers and orbiters you can follow in Part 1 of this series. Now it's time to talk about the hard-working observatories flying above our heads. There are X-ray observatories, optical telescopes, gamma-ray telescopes, infrared telescopes, microwave observatories and photometers looking deep into space and collecting data. Why so many different wavelengths? There is a lot to see in the universe, but much of it is obscured by dust clouds or simply isn't in the visible spectrum. Look at the Crab Nebula in different wavelengths and you can see the value of studying objects in the full electromagnetic spectrum.

Probably the most famous of all telescopes is the Hubble Space Telescope. Hubble was launched in 1990 and got off to a rocky start. Once its eyesight was corrected, it beamed down some of the most breathtaking images man has ever seen. The "Deep Field" image showed us more than one thousand galaxies in a small part of sky that was thought to be relatively empty. The stunning image of the Eagle Nebula's gas pillars, dubbed the "Pillars of Creation," gave astronomers a detailed look at early star formation. The impact and extent of Hubble's contributions to science defy words. NASA hasn't given a firm date for Hubble's retirement but the most recent upgrades will keep it working until at least 2014. Follow @HubblePAO, @HubbleTelescope and @HubbleNewsFeed.

Named after Indian-American Nobel laureate, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory was launched in July 1999. It is capturing X-ray emissions from very hot regions of the universe; of particular interest are exploded stars, clusters of galaxies, and the matter surrounding black holes. In fact, Chandra has found a number of black holes and can see the X-rays from matter until one second before it falls into one! It's also a key instrument for studying dark matter and dark energy. Follow @chandraxray.

NASA has a gamma-ray telescope checking out the most energetic of all radiation. The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, formerly called GLAST (for Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope), was launched in June 2008. Fermi is exploring the extremes of the universe, especially gamma-ray bursts, pulsars and neutron stars, supermassive black holes, and dark matter. Fermi has already discovered sixteen pulsars! And get this: Fermi is tasked to "search for signs of new laws of physics." New laws of physics! Follow @NASAGLAST.

Now onto infrared, or more simply, heat radiation. NASA's infrared telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope, has been scanning the skies since its launch in August 2003. Spitzer has four main objectives: search for brown dwarfs and super-planets; discover and study debris disks around stars; study ultra-luminous infrared galaxies and active galactic nuclei; and study the early universe. Piece of cake. Spitzer recently ran our of coolant but NASA scientists have recalibrated it and Spitzer went back to work on July 27, 2009. Follow @SpitzerScope.

Don't let the simplicity of a photometer fool you: NASA's Kepler Mission could prove Earth isn't us unique as we want to believe it is. Kepler is searching for extrasolar terrestrial planets, particularly those in the habitable zone around their stars. In other words, Kepler is looking for Earth-like planets in other solar systems. Detecting such small planets is all but impossible with ground-based telescopes. So Kepler, which was launched in March 2009, will look for them with a photometer. As a planet passes in front of its star, the star dims a bit, and that dimming is what Kepler is watching for. If you know the star's mass, temperature, how much and how often it dims, you can calculate the mass and temperature of the planet. Follow @NASAKepler.

Not to be outdone, the European Space Agency (ESA) also has satellites studying the universe. Herschel is the most advanced, most powerful and largest infrared telescope ever sent into space. It is also the first telescope to study the entire infrared range, from far-infrared to the sub-millimeter wavelengths. Herschel's powerful instruments can collect twenty times more light than any previous infrared telescope, and this enables scientists to see things never before possible. Because Herschel is so sensitive, it's being used to study very cold regions of space, inside and outside the Milky Way. Scientists are hoping that Herschel can give clues about the formation of stars and galaxies. Follow @ESAHerschel.

Herschel's partner in science is Planck. The two were launched together in May 2009, but are operating separately. Planck is ESA's microwave observatory studying the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). The CMB is a remnant of the Big Bang and is a snapshot of the universe when it was a mere 380,000 years old. By studying the CMB, scientists can get a glimpse of the evolution of the early universe. Planck will "measure the fluctuations of the CMB with an accuracy set by fundamental astrophysical limits." It will also study stars and galaxies in the microwave range, and investigate dark matter. Follow @Planck.

The seven satellites here are doing ground-breaking work and are keys to unlocking the mysteries of the universe. Following them on Twitter will keep you in the know and you'll be able to impress your friends with talk of X-rays, infrared and the CMB. Be sure to stick around for even more astronomy on Twitter!

Sources:

NASA/CXC/SAO, "Chandra :: Photo Album :: Crab Nebula :: What Do These Images Tell Us? :: 28 Sep 99." Chandra X-Ray Observatory.
Space Telescope Science Institute's HubbleSite
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope
Harvard's Chandra X-Ray Observatory Center
NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory
NASA's Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope
California Institute of Technology Spitzer Space Telescope
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope
NASA's Kepler Mission
ESA's Herschel Infrared Observatory
ESA's Planck Microwave Observatory