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| Multiband Imaging Photometer | |
|---|---|
| Name | Multiband Imaging Photometer |
| Operator | National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) / Ames Research Center |
| Mission | Spitzer Space Telescope |
| Type | Infrared imaging photometer |
| Wavelength | 24, 70, 160 micrometres |
| Launch | 25 August 2003 |
| Status | Retired (helium exhausted 2009; warm mission 2009–2020) |
Multiband Imaging Photometer is a cryogenic far-infrared photometric instrument flown on the Spitzer Space Telescope that provided imaging and photometry at multiple infrared bands, enabling surveys of star formation, galaxy evolution, and debris disks. It operated alongside the Infrared Array Camera and the Infrared Spectrograph to deliver complementary datasets across mid- to far-infrared wavelengths, supporting programs led by institutions such as the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology. The instrument’s observations contributed to studies connected to observatories and missions like Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-ray Observatory, and Herschel Space Observatory.
The instrument was conceived during planning activities at NASA centers including Goddard Space Flight Center and Ames Research Center, built under management by Jet Propulsion Laboratory with science teams at institutes such as University of Arizona and Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. It provided imaging at nominal bands near 24, 70, and 160 micrometres, complementing datasets from facilities including Very Large Array, Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, Subaru Telescope, and Keck Observatory. The project was funded and overseen through programs administered by NASA Headquarters and reviewed by panels including the National Research Council.
The photometer employed three detector arrays, cold optics, and calibration sources developed with contributions from groups at Ball Aerospace, Raytheon, and academic partners such as University of Arizona and Cornell University. The 24 μm channel used a silicon-based array developed with techniques similar to those in projects at Jet Propulsion Laboratory and University of California, Santa Barbara. The 70 μm and 160 μm channels used germanium and stressed gallium-doped germanium arrays drawing on heritage from instruments developed for Infrared Astronomical Satellite and Infrared Space Observatory. The design incorporated cold stop baffles and onboard calibration lamps analogous to systems used on Hubble Space Telescope instruments, with readout electronics influenced by developments at Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
Following launch of the Spitzer Space Telescope in 2003, the Multiband Imaging Photometer conducted science operations organized via the Spitzer Science Center at California Institute of Technology and scheduling offices at Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Major legacy programs included surveys coordinated with teams at University of Arizona, Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, and European Southern Observatory. The instrument operated through Spitzer’s cryogenic mission until helium depletion, after which selective 24 μm observations continued into the Warm Mission, integrating programs conducted by principal investigators associated with Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Texas at Austin.
MIPS delivered calibrated images, mosaics, point source catalogs, and photometric calibration files distributed via the Spitzer Science Center and archived at Infrared Science Archive. Data reduction pipelines were developed by teams at Spitzer Science Center, NASA Ames Research Center, and collaborators at European Space Agency institutes such as ESA/ESAC and national data centers like Canadian Astronomy Data Centre. Calibration relied on observations of standards from lists maintained by Cohen (standard star) networks and cross-calibration campaigns with Herschel Space Observatory instruments and ground-based facilities including James Clerk Maxwell Telescope and Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique.
MIPS enabled key discoveries in star formation, galaxy evolution, and planetary debris disks, supporting landmark papers by groups at Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Space Telescope Science Institute, and University of California, Los Angeles. The instrument mapped star-forming regions studied in conjunction with datasets from Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope, contributing to improved models by researchers at University of Michigan and Princeton University. MIPS surveys identified luminous infrared galaxies referenced in studies from California Institute of Technology teams and quantified dust emission in galaxies targeted by Sloan Digital Sky Survey collaborations at Princeton University and New York University. Observations of debris disks informed models developed at University of Arizona and influenced follow-up with Keck Observatory and Subaru Telescope.
The instrument faced detector artifacts, transient response issues, and cosmic ray effects addressed by pipeline teams at Spitzer Science Center and hardware groups at Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Raytheon. Warm-up of the observatory required recalibration campaigns coordinated with scientists at Max Planck Institute for Astronomy and National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Software updates to the data reduction pipeline were released by teams at California Institute of Technology and NASA Ames Research Center, with algorithmic contributions similar to methods used by Herschel Space Observatory teams and the Planck Collaboration to mitigate striping and latents.
MIPS legacy datasets continue to be used by researchers at institutions including University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, University of Oxford, University of Toronto, University of Chicago, and international consortia linked to European Southern Observatory and Max Planck Society. Its impact shaped instrument design on successor missions and facilities such as Herschel Space Observatory, James Webb Space Telescope, and ground facilities like ALMA, influencing detector development at organizations like Teledyne Imaging Sensors and observational strategies employed by teams at Space Telescope Science Institute and National Optical Astronomy Observatory. The archive remains a resource for studies by researchers at Yale University, Columbia University, University of Washington, and others, cementing its role in modern infrared astronomy.
Category:Infrared telescopes