- NASA has fitted to a Boeing 747 jetliner that it uses as a flying observatory to study stars, an infrared telescope named SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy).
- The jet can stay airborne for over 12 hrs and has a range of 6,625 nautical miles. It provides data that can’t be obtained by any facility on ground or in space.
- Since its mobile, it can spot transient events like supernove and comets.
- Read at:http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-international/nasa-builds-worlds-first-flying-observatory/article6187738.ece