Spitzer's Infrared Array Camera

The Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) is one of Spitzer's three science instruments, and provides imaging capabilities at near- and mid-infrared wavelengths. It is a general-purpose camera that will be used by observers on Spitzer for a wide variety of astronomical research programs.

IRAC is a four-channel camera that provides simultaneous 5.12 x 5.12 arcmin images at 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8 microns. Each of the four detector arrays in the camera are 256 x 256 pixels in size. IRAC uses two sets of detector arrays. The two short-wavelength channels are imaged by composite detectors made from indium and antimony. The long-wavelength channels use silicon detectors that have been specially treated with arsenic. The only moving part in IRAC is the camera shutter.

The Spitzer Space Telescope is a NASA mission managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This website is maintained by the Spitzer Science Center, located on the campus of the California Institute of Technology and part of NASA's Infrared Processing and Analysis Center. Privacy Policy