Astronomy by Nigel Romany

Space Telescopes

From Earth's surface we can't see all sorts of colors of light that our atmosphere blocks nor most infrared, ultraviolet, gamma rays, or x-rays that's why space telescopes are launched as satellites. That way we can study the Universe without interference from Earth's atmosphere.

Optical Astronomy
Hubble Space Telescope - NASA | Hubble Space Telescope - ESA | Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) | HTS | HTS a visible light, infared and ultraviolet telescope | 1990 - present
Kepler a planet-hunting visible light telescope launched Mar 2009 see also here
target: in the Cygnus-Lyra region of our Milky Way galaxy. See also here
COROT a planet-hunting 30cm visible light telescope
International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (Integral) a Gamma-ray, X-Ray, and visible light telescope
Astrosat 2013 launch - will study for the first time the cosmic sources of the vast universe at optical, ultraviolet and X-ray wavebands simultaneously

Radio Astronomy [These are on Earth not in space]
National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO)
The VLBA is a system of ten radio-telescope antennas from Hawaii to St. Croix spanning more than 5,000 miles
NRAO's Very Long Baseline Array in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands and webcam here

Submillimeter Astronomy (includes Microwave)
COsmic Background Explorer (COBE) an IR and microwave telescope
Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) a microwave "telescope"
Planck a microwave "telescope"

Infrared Astronomy
Hubble Space Telescope - HubbleSite | Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) | HTS | HTS a visible light, infared and ultraviolet telescope | 1990 - present
Spitzer Space Telescope an IR Telescope | 2003 - present
ASTRO-F an IR telescope
COsmic Background Explorer (COBE) an IR and microwave telescope
Herschel Space Observatory see also here and here an IR telescope | 2009 - present
Planck see also here and here an IR telescope to launch May 6, 2009
Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) an IR telescope Dec 2009 - 2011 article on it's first 6 months
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) an IR telescope now scheduled to launch in 2014
Akari Space Telescope an IR telescope 2006 - 2011 scanned 94% of the celestial sphere
The Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) an IR telescope 1983 - was the first-ever space-based observatory to perform a survey of the entire sky at infrared wavelengths see also here

Ultraviolet Astronomy
Hubble Space Telescope - HubbleSite | Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) | HTS | HTS a visible light, infared and ultraviolet telescope | 1990 - present
Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) a UV telescope
Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) a UV "telescope"
Astrosat 2013 launch - will study for the first time the cosmic sources of the vast universe at optical, ultraviolet and X-ray wavebands simultaneously
International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) a UV "telescope" 1978-1996 see also here
Far-ultraviolet Off Rowland-circle Telescope for Imaging and Spectroscopy (FORTIS) a UV "telescope" 2014

X-Ray Astronomy
XMM-Newton Telescope (ESA) a X-Ray Telescope | 1999 - present
Chandra X-ray Observatory a X-Ray Telescope | 1999 - present
International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (Integral) a Gamma-ray, X-Ray, and visible light telescope
Suzaku a X-Ray telescope
XMM-Newton a X-Ray telescope
Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) a X-Ray telescope
Astrosat 2013 launch - will study for the first time the cosmic sources of the vast universe at optical, ultraviolet and X-ray wavebands simultaneously
ROentgen SATellite (ROSAT) a X-Ray telescope launched June 1990
The Einstein Observatory (aka HEAO-2) a X-Ray telescope 1978-1981

Gamma Ray Astronomy
Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) 1991-2000
International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (Integral) a Gamma-ray, X-Ray, and visible light telescope
Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope and here a gamma-ray telescope launched June 2008

Sun Telescopes
SOHO - Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
STEREO - Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory
TRACE - Transition Region and Coronal Explorer - studies the Sun and Magnetosphere
SDO - Solar Dynamics Observatory re-slated to launch Aug 2009
Helios 1 launched Nov 1978
Helios 2 launched Jan 1976