|
Amateur Astronomy
The Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope is a wonder of engineering and ingenuity. The idea for building a telescope in space that could see far beyond our own solar system was conceived in 1962 by the National Academy of Sciences in the United States. It wasn't until 1977 that the Congress of the United States finally voted to actually fund the project.
The Hubble telescope is named for Edwin P. Hubble. Hubble was a trailblazing astronomer who was born in 1889 and died in 1953.
The Hubble telescope has given astronomers unprecedented access to views of deep space. It has actually revolutionized the science of astronomy in many ways. The Hubble Telescope can "see" far beyond our own solar system and beyond our own galaxy into deep space, where fledgling galaxies are only just beginning to form.
The Hubble telescope wasn't launched until 1990 even though it was originally scheduled to launch in 1983. The launch experienced many delays, the most notable of which was the space shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986. The Hubble telescope was launched into space on April 25, 1990, and was sending pictures back to earth in a matter of days -- but the pictures were out of focus. The problem was found to be a flaw in the giant mirror -- it was too flat on one edge by 1/50th the width of a single human hair.
In 1993, the problem with the Hubble was resolved when the space shuttle Endeavor captured the Hubble Space Telescope and added a camera to correct problems with the telescope's primary mirror.
There have been other problems with the Hubble over the years, but it is still one of the wonders of the world and is providing astronomers with information that they could never have gained access to without it.
See Also:
The Nine Planets Solar System Tour
The Hubble Space Telescope
The Planet Jupiter
The planet Jupiter is was named by the Romans after their god Jupiter, who was also sometimes called Jove. Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system by far. It is more than twice as large as all of the other planets combined.
Jupiter might well have become a star when it was born, had it been larger. There is very little (if any) solid matter on Jupiter. If there is any at all, it is hidden deeply inside the planet. Jupiter is made up entirely (as far as we know now) of gases and liquids.
The very composition of Jupiter means that its parts do not rotate at the same speed, but rotation is fast. Jupiter makes one complete revolution in a little less than 10 hours. This very fast rotation plus the makeup of gases and liquids are what causes the bulge at the equator of Jupiter.
Jupiter has an internal heat source. We are sure of this because it actually emits more radiation than it gets from the sun.
There are four large moons and dozens of small moons that rotate around Jupiter, making it a kind of small solar system unto itself.
One of the more outstanding features about Jupiter is the never-ending hurricane called "The Giant Red Spot" in the southern hemisphere. This disturbance has been going on for the last 400 years that we know of. It never abates…probably because it never passes over land (there isn't any) like hurricanes on earth do.
An explanation for the color of the clouds on Jupiter still eludes astronomers. With the conditions that exist, clouds should be colorless, but they are anything but colorless, and they change color over time. We still have a lot to learn! |
|
More articles:
Galaxies
Astrology - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Binoculars 10*25 Telescope for Hiking/Camping/Tour/Venture - Black
Petition to put Carl Sagan on a stamp
Sun - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Space Travel
Mirrors and Lenses
Many people believe that the main function of a telescope is just to make distant celestial objects appear bigger so that astronomers (even amateur astronomers) can see them better, but that really is a misconception. The fact is that telescopes work by gathering light. Magnifying distant objects is secondary. Telescopes gather light basically in two ways: through the use of lenses, and through the use of mirrors. The third way that telescopes gather light is by using a combination of lenses and mirrors.
A telescope that gathers light through the use of a lens is called a refractor telescope. The truth is that how much you spend on a refractor telescope is the determining factor of how well you will be able to see celestial objects. Inexpensive refractor telescopes (2.4 inch) have not-so-good optics and low light grasp. High-end refractor telescopes (3.5 inch) have almost perfect optics and much, much better light grasp.
Telescopes that gather light through the use of a mirror are called reflector telescopes. Refractors cost less per inch of aperture. They are less costly to manufacture because there is only one optical surface, and they lend themselves well to different designs and uses. Also, because the light doesn't have to pass through glass, the images are basically color free. Probably the best telescope for a novice astronomer is the Newtonian reflector. The cost factor is a plus for the refractor telescope, but the corresponding minus (there always is one) is that the primary mirror is ground to a concave shape, so the outside zone has a little longer focal length than the inner zone.
A catadioptic telescope is a compromise between a refractor and a reflector, because both lens and a mirror are used. Catadioptic telescopes are portable. They do not cost as much as a high-quality refractor telescope, but they cost a little more than a good-quality reflector telescope. Still, they are the best of both worlds.
Related Topics: About Telescopes,
Ham the Chimp, Galaxies
|