Spitzer's Multiband Imaging Photometer

The Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS) is one of the three science instruments that will fly on the Observatory and will provide imaging and limited spectroscopic data at far-infrared wavelengths. It has three detector arrays. A 128 x 128 array for imaging at 24 microns is composed of silicon, specially treated with arsenic. A 32 x 32 array for imaging at 70 microns, and a 2 x 20 array for imaging at 160 microns both use germanium, treated with gallium. The 32 x 32 array will also take spectra from 50 - 100 microns. The MIPS field of view varies from about 5x5 arcmin at the shortest wavelength to about 0.5x5 arcmin at the longest wavelength.

The three arrays, calibrators, scan mirror, and optics compose the cryogenic part of the MIPS. This assembly is mounted in the Spitzer cold instrument chamber. In addition, the MIPS and the IRS share warm electronics that controls their operation. The only moving part in MIPS is a scan mirror used to efficiently map large areas of the sky.

The Spitzer Space Telescope is a NASA mission managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This website is maintained by the Spitzer Science Center, located on the campus of the California Institute of Technology and part of NASA's Infrared Processing and Analysis Center. Privacy Policy