Why is the Hubble Space Telescope so successful?
The detail of Hubble’s images has been crucial to its ongoing success. It has enabled astronomers to view changing weather and aurora on other planets, measure the gravitational deflection of light by dark matter, peer into stellar nurseries and glimpse planets orbiting other stars.
What is the biggest advantage of the Hubble telescope being located in space rather than on Earth’s surface?
Space-based telescopes like Hubble get a much clearer view of the universe than most of their ground-based counterparts. They’re also able to detect frequencies and wavelengths across the entire electromagnetic spectrum.
How has Hubble informed us about the size of the universe?
They discovered almost 800 Cepheid variable stars, a special class of pulsating star used for accurate distance measurement. Combining Hubble’s constant measurement with estimates for the density of the universe, the team determined that the universe is approximately 12 billion years old — similar to the oldest stars.
How does the Hubble telescope help study space?
The telescope has helped scientists understand how planets and galaxies form. Galaxies contain billions of stars. A picture called “Hubble Ultra Deep Field” shows some of the farthest galaxies ever seen. And Hubble has helped scientists learn more about explosions that happen when huge stars burn out.
What is the biggest disadvantage of putting a telescope in space?
Disadvantages. Space telescopes are much more expensive to build than ground-based telescopes. Due to their location, space telescopes are also extremely difficult to maintain. The Hubble Space Telescope was serviced by the Space Shuttle, but most space telescopes cannot be serviced at all.
What are three good reasons for placing telescopes in space?
The main reason we put telescopes into space is to get around the Earth’s atmosphere so that we can get a clearer view of the planets, stars, and galaxies that we are studying. Our atmosphere acts like a protective blanket letting only some light through while blocking others. Most of the time this is a good thing.
What are the disadvantages of a telescope?
The disadvantages are mainly to do with the hassle of operating in space. It’s much more expensive, so you can’t have such a large telescope. If things go wrong it’s much harder to repair them. You can’t update the instruments so often so they quickly become out of date.
What are 2 problems with refracting telescopes?
The two problems with refracting telescopes are a chromatic aberration and spherical aberration.
What is a major disadvantage of a refracting telescope?
Disadvantages. All refractors suffer from an effect called chromatic aberration (“color deviation or distortion”) that produces a rainbow of colors around the image. This is why the early refracting telescopes were made very long.
Why reflecting telescopes are better than refracting?
Reflecting telescopes have many advantages over refracting telescopes. Mirrors don’t cause chromatic aberration and they are easier and cheaper to build large. The are also easier to mount because the back of the mirror can be used to attach to the mount.
How strong does a telescope have to be to see planets?
Experienced planetary observers use 20x to 30x per inch of aperture to see the most planetary detail. Double-star observers go higher, up to 50x per inch (which corresponds to a ½-mm exit pupil). Beyond this, telescope magnification power and eye limitations degrade the view.
Can you see planets with a cheap telescope?
A small telescope can reveal details on giant planets because of how much light they reflect. Medium and large telescopes will provide views of Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, even in light-polluted areas.
How big of a telescope do I need to see the rings of Saturn?
The rings of Saturn should be visible in even the smallest telescope at 25x [magnified by 25 times]. A good 3-inch scope at 50x [magnified by 50 times] can show them as a separate structure detached on all sides from the ball of the planet.