NASA’s SOFIA Observatory Studies Neighboring Galaxy From Chile

NASA's flying observatory, Boeing 747SP modified aircraft, SOFIA, Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, is shown to the media at the international airport, in Santiago, Chile, on March 31, 2022. Ivan Alvarado/Reuters

SANTIAGO—An airplane-borne telescope has flown high above Chile at night this month to observe a sliver of the universe as scientists aim to gain a better understanding of how stars are born.

The U.S. space agency NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), a state-of-the-art Boeing 747 fitted with a telescope able to observe the entire infrared spectrum, arrived in Chile this month, marking its first visit to South America.