High resolution mapping in the far-infrared band.

The earth's atmosphere is opaque to the far-infrared (far-IR) radiation and hence observations have to be carried out at altitudes above 12 km using telescopes transported by aircraft, balloon or satellite. The restriction to modest size telescopes in this environment along with the longer wavelengths of observations, results in poorer spatial resolution as compared to optical, near and mid infrared observations that can be made using ground based telescopes. However, the resolution of the far-IR observations has improved in recent times, with the employment of deconvolution techniques. This has led to significant results in several astrophysical situations in which the far-IR emission plays a major role.