Telescopes in Astronomy
Telescopes in Astronomy
Once upon a time, we believed the Earth was at the center of our universe. We were seriously mistaken. We have come to find that at the center of most galaxies is a giant black hole that keeps everything together. With the use of telescopes, we have made it possible to see the “impossible”. We are able to see the geographic landscape of distant planets and moons. Telescopes have made it possible to measure the speed of light, understand gravity, and grasp other laws of physics. Will the innovation of telescopes, we can detect stars by studying the heat and what kind of radioactive rays they emit. It is exciting to think of how our knowledge of the heavens will be greatened in the future with the development of telescopes.
Major Designs of Telescopes
There are two types of telescopes. The refracting telescope uses two lenses to focus light. The most modern telescope used today is a reflecting telescope. This telescope uses mirrors to focus light. The Cassegrain telescope uses two mirrors to focus light. The primary mirror is the larger of the two and is found at the base of the telescope, while the secondary mirror is positioned at the top of the telescope and is positioned facing the primary mirror. With the use of a hole at the top of the telescope, we use diffraction and angular resolution to examine the night sky. The nice thing about reflecting telescopes is that they do not suffer from chromatic aberration. Seeing as how the mirrors are supported from the back, very large mirrors can be built, which can make for larger viewing capabilities. With this come the disadvantages. Mirrors need to be cleaned frequently and can be easily misaligned.
Where to Build a Telescope
Ground based observatories are affected by many different elements of our atmosphere. In order to clearly see the night sky through a telescope, it is important to take these elements into consideration. Our atmosphere contains many gases that skew our vision of
Once upon a time, we believed the Earth was at the center of our universe. We were seriously mistaken. We have come to find that at the center of most galaxies is a giant black hole that keeps everything together. With the use of telescopes, we have made it possible to see the “impossible”. We are able to see the geographic landscape of distant planets and moons. Telescopes have made it possible to measure the speed of light, understand gravity, and grasp other laws of physics. Will the innovation of telescopes, we can detect stars by studying the heat and what kind of radioactive rays they emit. It is exciting to think of how our knowledge of the heavens will be greatened in the future with the development of telescopes.
Major Designs of Telescopes
There are two types of telescopes. The refracting telescope uses two lenses to focus light. The most modern telescope used today is a reflecting telescope. This telescope uses mirrors to focus light. The Cassegrain telescope uses two mirrors to focus light. The primary mirror is the larger of the two and is found at the base of the telescope, while the secondary mirror is positioned at the top of the telescope and is positioned facing the primary mirror. With the use of a hole at the top of the telescope, we use diffraction and angular resolution to examine the night sky. The nice thing about reflecting telescopes is that they do not suffer from chromatic aberration. Seeing as how the mirrors are supported from the back, very large mirrors can be built, which can make for larger viewing capabilities. With this come the disadvantages. Mirrors need to be cleaned frequently and can be easily misaligned.
Where to Build a Telescope
Ground based observatories are affected by many different elements of our atmosphere. In order to clearly see the night sky through a telescope, it is important to take these elements into consideration. Our atmosphere contains many gases that skew our vision of