Using SIRTF to study extragalactic star formation

Abstract

SIRTF, the Space Infrared Telescope Facility, is a NASA mission to provide a long lifetime, sensitive and flexible infrared observatory in space. SIRTF will be able to study selected objects with a sensitivity over 5,000 time better than the IRAS survey limits, and will provide photometric and low to medium resolution spectroscopic data over almost nine octaves from 1.8 to 700 micron wavelength. The baseline SIRTF design has an 85 cm telescope with optics and control system designed for diffraction limited operation at 4 micron and longer wavelengths. SIRTF will be able to measure important cooling lines from neutral regions, such as the 157 micron line, and lines from H II regions such as the 88 micron line. SIRTF will also be able to survey small areas of the sky to the confusion limit in the 3 to 700 micron region.