1983 ⟶ Launch of the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS)

The first infrared astronomy satellite, IRAS, is launched. I...
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🔭 Scorpius X-1: First Cosmic X-ray Source Discovered

Riccardo Giacconi and his team discover the first cosmic x-ray source, Scorpius X-1⟶
Scorpius X-1: First Cosmic X-ray Source Discovered (1962)
AstronomyAstrophysicsX-ray AstronomyCosmic X-raysScorpius X-1Space-based ObservatoriesHigh-energy Astrophysics
United StatesUnited States

🔭 Launch of the Uhuru Satellite for X-ray Astronomy

The Uhuru satellite, designed to map the sky at X-ray wavelengths, is launched by NASA. The existence of X-rays from the Sun and a few other stars has already been found using rocket-launched experiments, but Uhuru charts more than 300 X-ray sources, including several possible black holes.⟶
Launch of the Uhuru Satellite for X-ray Astronomy (1970)
AstronomyX-ray AstronomySatelliteNASAAstrophysicsBlack HolesUhuru
United StatesUnited States

💫 Discovery of the First Millisecond Pulsar

Donald C. Backer et al. discover the first millisecond pulsar⟶
Discovery of the First Millisecond Pulsar (1982)
PulsarsRadio AstronomyDonald C. BackerAstrophysicsNeutron Stars1980sAstronomyCelestial Objects
United StatesUnited States

🔭 Launch of the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS)

The first infrared astronomy satellite, IRAS, is launched. It must be cooled to extremely low temperatures with liquid helium, and it operates for only 300 days before the supply of helium is exhausted. During this time it completes an infrared survey of 98% of the sky.⟶
Launch of the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) (1983)
Infrared AstronomyIRASSpace-based ObservatoriesAstronomy1980sTelescopesAstrophysicsSpace Exploration
United StatesUnited StatesNetherlandsNetherlandsUnited KingdomUnited Kingdom

☄️ Halley's Comet Flyby by Multiple Probes

The returning Halley's Comet is met by a fleet of five probes from the USSR, Japan, and Europe. The most ambitious is the European Space Agency's Giotto spacecraft, which flies through the comet's coma and photographs the nucleus.⟶
Halley's Comet Flyby by Multiple Probes (1986)
AstronomyCometsSpace ExplorationHalley's CometGiottoSpace Probes1980sSolar SystemCosmology
Soviet UnionSoviet UnionJapanJapan

🛰️ Magellan Probe Maps Venus

The Magellan probe, launched by NASA, arrives at Venus and spends three years mapping the planet with radar. Magellan is the first in a new wave of probes that include Galileo, which arrives at Jupiter in 1995, and Cassini which arrives at Saturn in 2004.⟶
Magellan Probe Maps Venus (1989)
Space ExplorationVenusPlanetary ScienceRadar MappingMagellanNASA1980sAstronomyGeologyRemote Sensing
United StatesUnited States