Sofia, the flying telescope, will fly again soon

Sofia, the flying telescope, is about to return to service after 4 months in Hamburg, Germany since September 2020.

Sofia's return should take place in a few days, on February 4, when the plane goes to the German city of Cologne to make some scientific observations there.

It's the only plane in the world that carries an on-site observatory. One reason is that astronomical views are not affected by weather problems. Sofia flies generally at the level of 40,000 feet and with an average autonomy of 8 hours of flight.