Hubble Space Telescope
THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE
Telescopes have only been around for about 400 years. Since then, they have evolved quickly and helped astronomers make remarkable discoveries. Ground based telescopes were the first, but we needed a way to observe the cosmos in the vacuum of space, without the light pollution and atmosphere of earth. The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) was the tool that helped propel astronomy to the next level. It has helped us understand the universe in new ways, but Hubble 's journey has been difficult and it has required many service missions to remain operational. Without those repairs and replacements, Hubble would not have helped make the discoveries it has, from confirming black holes to helping determine the age of the universe, Hubble has been instrumental to our current understanding of the universe. With this said, is Hubble the most important telescope to have ever been built and used? Yes it is, and Hubble will continue to make progress in the field of astronomy throughout its remaining years. To help understand why it is the most important telescope in history, we must first look at why and how it was developed. Ground based telescopes posed many problems for astronomers. Earth 's cloud cover, atmosphere, and light pollution all create obstacles for ground-based telescopes. There are some techniques astronomers can use to compensate for these things, but there are still many problems with ground-based telescopes. The turbulence of the air in the atmosphere distorts distant objects and the light pollution makes it difficult to see faint objects. Also, the inability of some forms of radiation to penetrate the atmosphere makes it so some objects in space cannot reach earth 's surface, particularly infrared and ultraviolet. X rays and gamma rays are also distorted when they reach earth’s surface.1 The need for a long-term space-based observatory was evident as early as the 1920 's when Herman Oberth, the German
Telescopes have only been around for about 400 years. Since then, they have evolved quickly and helped astronomers make remarkable discoveries. Ground based telescopes were the first, but we needed a way to observe the cosmos in the vacuum of space, without the light pollution and atmosphere of earth. The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) was the tool that helped propel astronomy to the next level. It has helped us understand the universe in new ways, but Hubble 's journey has been difficult and it has required many service missions to remain operational. Without those repairs and replacements, Hubble would not have helped make the discoveries it has, from confirming black holes to helping determine the age of the universe, Hubble has been instrumental to our current understanding of the universe. With this said, is Hubble the most important telescope to have ever been built and used? Yes it is, and Hubble will continue to make progress in the field of astronomy throughout its remaining years. To help understand why it is the most important telescope in history, we must first look at why and how it was developed. Ground based telescopes posed many problems for astronomers. Earth 's cloud cover, atmosphere, and light pollution all create obstacles for ground-based telescopes. There are some techniques astronomers can use to compensate for these things, but there are still many problems with ground-based telescopes. The turbulence of the air in the atmosphere distorts distant objects and the light pollution makes it difficult to see faint objects. Also, the inability of some forms of radiation to penetrate the atmosphere makes it so some objects in space cannot reach earth 's surface, particularly infrared and ultraviolet. X rays and gamma rays are also distorted when they reach earth’s surface.1 The need for a long-term space-based observatory was evident as early as the 1920 's when Herman Oberth, the German
Bibliography: Fischer, Daniel. Hubble: A New Window to the Universe. New York: Copernicus, 1996. Goodwin, Simon. Hubble’s Universe: A Portrait of our Cosmos. New York: Penguin Group, 1996. Hubble Site, “Team Hubble Servicing Missions”, http://hubblesite.org/the_telescope/team_hubble/servicing_missions.php (accessed December 10, 2010). Kerrod, Robin. Hubble: The Mirror on the Universe. New York: Quintet, 2003. Livio, Mario. 2006. "Hubble 's Top 10." Scientific American 295, no. 1: 42-49. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed December 11, 2010). NASA, “The James Webb Space Telescope”, http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/ (accessed December 10, 2010). Peterson, Carolyn. Hubble Vision: Astronomy with the Hubble Space Telescope. New York: Cambridge University, 1995. Spangenburg, Ray. The Hubble Space Telescope. United States: Grolier, 2002. Villard, Ray. "Hubble 's top 5 science discoveries." Astronomy 38, no. 7 (July 2010): 30-35. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed December 11, 2010). 1. Spangenburg, Ray. The Hubble Space Telescope. United States: Grolier, 2002. 1. Spangenburg, Ray. The Hubble Space Telescope. United States: Grolier, 2002. 2. Fischer, Daniel. Hubble: A New Window to the Universe. New York: Copernicus, 1996. 3. Goodwin, Simon. Hubble’s Universe: A Portrait of our Cosmos. New York: Penguin Group, 1996. 1. Spangenburg, Ray. The Hubble Space Telescope. United States: Grolier, 2002. 2. Fischer, Daniel. Hubble: A New Window to the Universe. New York: Copernicus, 1996. 3. Goodwin, Simon. Hubble’s Universe: A Portrait of our Cosmos. New York: Penguin Group, 1996. 2. Fischer, Daniel. Hubble: A New Window to the Universe. New York: Copernicus, 1996. 4. Peterson, Carolyn. Hubble Vision: Astronomy with the Hubble Space Telescope. New York: Cambridge University, 1995. 5. Kerrod, Robin. Hubble: The Mirror on the Universe. New York: Quintet, 2003. 5. Kerrod, Robin. Hubble: The Mirror on the Universe. New York: Quintet, 2003. 6. Hubble Site, “Team Hubble Servicing Missions”, http://hubblesite.org/the_telescope/team_hubble/servicing_missions.php (accessed December 10, 2010). 7. Livio, Mario. 2006. "Hubble 's Top 10." Scientific American 295, no. 1: 42-49. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed December 11, 2010). 2. Fischer, Daniel. Hubble: A New Window to the Universe. New York: Copernicus, 1996. 7. Livio, Mario. 2006. "Hubble 's Top 10." Scientific American 295, no. 1: 42-49. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed December 11, 2010). 7. Livio, Mario. 2006. "Hubble 's Top 10." Scientific American 295, no. 1: 42-49. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed December 11, 2010). 8. Villard, Ray. "Hubble 's top 5 science discoveries." Astronomy 38, no. 7 (July 2010): 30-35. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed December 11, 2010). 9. NASA, “The James Webb Space Telescope”, http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/ (accessed December 10, 2010).