Photometric Sensitivity of SOFIA Telescope in
Comparison to other Missions

The above graph shows the photometric sensitivity (the ability to detect faint sources) of SOFIA at wavelengths from 0.3 to 1000 µm, and also compares the sensitivity of SOFIA with that of five other infrared missions: KAO, IRAS, ISO, SIRTF and Herschel.

The fact that the curve for SOFIA lies under the curves for the KAO and IRAS, and, at long wavelengths, under the curve for ISO means that SOFIA will be more sensitive than these other observatories, probing a substantially larger volume of the universe for fainter objects.

See also Stratospheric Obsevatory for Infrared Astronomy by E.F. Erickson and J.A. Davidson; April, 1995