For 16 years, the Spitzer Space Telescope functioned perfectly. Launched into a solar orbit on Aug. 25, 2003, Spitzer trails behind Earth and has been gradually drifting farther away from our planet. After 16 years of incredible discoveries, NASA's retiring Spitzer Space Telescope is going gently into that good night, slumbering against a background of stars -- the very ones it helped study. These observations aim at assessing the presence of puffy, hydrogen-dominated atmospheres, typical … PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has discovered an enormous ring around Saturn -- by far the largest of the giant planet's many rings. The forthcoming telescope will be able to push Spitzer's science findings to new frontiers, from identifying chemicals in exoplanet atmospheres to locating some of the first galaxies to form after the Big Bang. The Spitzer Space Telescope (formerly the Space Infrared Telescope Facility or SIRTF) was the fourth and last of NASA’s “Great Observatories,” after the Hubble Space Telescope (launched in 1990), the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (1991), and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory (1999). This remarkable spacecraft has made discoveries its designers never even imagined, including some of the seven Earth-size planets of TRAPPIST-1.Here are some key facts about Spitzer: The Greatest Discoveries from the Spitzer Space Telescope As NASA's orbiting infrared observatory shuts down, we look back at some of its most important finds. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has spent 15 years in space.In honor of this anniversary, 15 of Spitzer's greatest discoveries are featured in a gallery. Exoplanet Discoveries. Image courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech To understand the significance of the Spitzer Space Telescope on the understanding of our solar system , think of what the steam engine meant for the industrial revolution. The Spitzer Space Telescope also redefined the shape of the Milky Way galaxy. NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope is celebrating 15 years since its launch on August 25, 2003. Beyond its discoveries, Spitzer is also a pathfinder for Webb in terms of how to operate a telescope of this kind. Following up on the Spitzer discovery, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has initiated the screening of four of the planets, including the three inside the habitable zone. Spitzer discovered a whole solar system of potentially habitable Earth-like worlds. Spitzer's Greatest Hits. In the fall of 2016, Spitzer spotted 5 out of the 7 rocky worlds orbiting the star TRAPPIST-1 . Before Spitzer, astronomers thought that the Milky Way was a spiral shaped galaxy. By Erika K. Carlson Jan 29, 2020 2:00 PM. 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