As NASA’s Spitzer telescope’s mission ends, here’s a look back at its discoveries

For more than 16 years, the orbiting observatory has revealed wonders of the cosmos

Spitzer galaxy image

In a region 890 light-years across, hundreds of thousands of stars gather around dust clouds in the center of the Milky Way galaxy in this 2006 infrared image from the Spitzer Space Telescope.

JPL-Caltech/NASA, S. Stolovy, SSC

After 16 years and five months in space, NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope is signing off.