Dutraction limited far infrared astronomy

The far-infrared spectral region, 50-200 μm, covers the luminosity peak for a variety of different astrophysical phenomena, from proto-stars to interacting galaxies, and even many quasars. For many other objects, their weaker but detectable radiation at these wavelengths carries information about the structure and energetics of the central object and/or about the physical conditions in clouds of material near the central source.