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Telescopes in Astronomy

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Telescopes in Astronomy
Cary Lingle
PHY 107
June 25, 2013
Professor Worek

Telescopes in Astronomy
Peering out beyond the confines of the Earth was a daydream for early scientists. Staring into the heavens from the Earth limited the scientific community’s ability to study the cosmic bodies above the Earth’s surface. As curiosity grew to explore the Sun, moon, stars and far-reaching corners of the universe, creativity was sparked leading to the development of tools like a telescope to assist scientists with examining outer space and its contents.
The development of the telescope began in the hands of a Dutch lens maker, Hans Lippershey. Lippershey developed a device consisting of a tube and a lens allowing the user to view objects up close. Galileo Galilei expanded upon Lippershey’s design creating the modern day telescope using a concave lens. Galileo used his telescope view the items in the night sky including the Milky Way. Galileo revealed that the Earth was not at the center of the universe that was a contrasting view from previous scholars.
The development of the telescope has lead to significant discoveries including the moon's effect on weather patterns on Earth and in space black holes, stars' lifecycles and galaxies beyond the Milky Way to name a few. The ability to study the Sun has given scholars the ability to determine the age of the Sun, planets and stars in the night sky.
The first telescope's original design, consisting of a tube and lens, gave the viewer the first glimpse into the space. As interest in astronomy grew in both the scientific and philosophical communities, the design of the telescope evolved. Several decades after the original design of the telescope the reflecting telescope was introduced to the scientific community. The reflecting telescope utilizes mirrors and light to reflect the image back to the viewer. The Earth's atmosphere distorts the image that leads to distortion in the view. The development of the curvature of the mirrors used in the telescope helped sharpen the image seen by the viewer.
From James Gregory to Robert Hooke to Sir Isaac Newton, enhancements to the reflecting telescope design had continued to evolve. Gregory introduced a double mirror system which Hooke continued to improve. Newton enhanced the design by "adding a diagonal mirror near the telescope's primary mirror. This strategic placement allowed the primary mirror's focus reflected at a 90-degree angle, which meant that the viewer could view the image without blocking out all the light coming through the telescope. ("A History Of The First Reflecting Telescope," n.d.)"
The refracting telescope utilizes a convex lens allowing rays of light to pass through the eyepiece to meet at a point providing a larger field to view. A design challenge stemming from the convex lens is the image is presented inverted to the viewer. The design allows for higher magnification allowing the observer to see the detail of objects in the nearest space in addition to bringing into focus objects in the furthest corners of space. Access to the best telescope is only one piece of the puzzle. Even the best telescopes face challenges when it comes to the atmosphere in which the telescope's utilization is evident. The best place to build a ground-based telescope is in an area that it high in the atmosphere, away from the body of water with minimal human light pollution. In 2009, astronomers discover the "coldest, driest, calmest place on Earth." that had been deemed as the best place for a telescope placement. ("Astronomers Find Coldest, Driest, Calmest Place On Earth," 2009). The Antarctic Plateau's climate is one where weather is nearly nonexistent. Wind and weather can obscure an observer's view of objects found in space. “The researchers pinpointed a site, known simply as Ridge A, which is 4,053m high up on the Antarctic Plateau. ("Astronomers Find Coldest, Driest, Calmest Place On Earth," 2009). Secondary to the Antarctic Plateau, telescope locations consist of installations in the mountains of Chile and Hawaii as well as the Arizona desert. The viewpoints are desirable due in part to their geographic attributes, mountain elevations and desert atmospheres that lack interference from human light pollution and fog that can form over bodies of water. There are pros and cons to building telescopes on Earth. Building telescopes on Earth provide the scientific community the ability to troubleshoot quickly and repair the device. Earth-bound telescopes provide the ability for scientific collaboration between creative minds in developed countries as well as those who do not possess the financial resources to pursue studying the heavens above one's head. Conversely, earth-bound telescopes face the challenge of peering out into space through atmospheric interference including light and air pollution and how the Earth's curvature distorts the view of items outside the Earth's atmosphere. Telescopes built in space or on the moon have their pros and cons as well. The obvious pro to building in space is the reduced proximity to the celestial body the observer would like to view in addition to escaping the Earth's atmospheric interference. In contrast, telescopes built in space are expensive to construct, and for that reason, private enterprise is unlikely to push the creative envelope. Space ventures sanctioned on a governmental level which makes it virtually impossible for a private company to enter into the space exploration venture leading to a limitation on creative input and feedback which stymies advancements in the field of astronomy. The emission spectrum is instrumental in providing a glimpse into the birth, life, and death in the nature and properties of the Sun, stars, and the universe through the assessment of elements found in a star's photosphere. The frequencies of radiation emission measured can determine the state in which the star is in at the time of viewing taking into consideration time in light years. The age of stars and galaxies measurements obtained through spectral analysis of the nuclear fusion by-products expelled into the universe carried through the universe by solar winds. The Earth's atmosphere absorbs or reflects the majority of wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum leaving visible light and a small variety of infrared and radio lengths. These wavelengths can be viewed using Earth-bound telescopes where gamma rays consist of x-rays and ultraviolet light. For example, infrared light is best observed by a telescope in space. The telescope would use radio to report information to Earth. The most notable telescope is the Hubble telescope positioned above the Earth reporting information related to visible wavelengths back to Earth. X-ray wavelengths display scorching conditions that require a telescope in space with a specialty tube and strategically placed mirrors to capture information related to x-ray wavelengths. Gamma-ray is best viewed through gamma-ray telescopes that utilize sensitive detectors that allow the telescope to measure energy. The most widely know gamma-ray telescope is the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope. Telescopes continue to be an integral tool used in exploring the Earth’s atmosphere, the Sun, and beyond our galaxy. From the dawn of the first telescope to today’s modern telescopes, scientists have made significant discoveries related to Earth’s weather pattern analysis, ozone layer erosion, and tectonic events. Scientists continue to stretch scientifically by peering into the Milky Way galaxy and beyond in an effort to ascertain knowledge of the past, present and future of Earth and destinations beyond the universe we know. May the dreams of scientists continue to spark the imagination of scientists hopefully someday taking humanity to new destinations in the cosmos.

References
A History Of The First Reflecting Telescope. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.viewtelescopes.com/first_reflecting_telescope.php
Astronomers find coldest, driest, calmest place on Earth. (2009). Retrieved from http://phys.org/news170932769.html
How Telescopes Work. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://lcogt.net/book/export/html/5

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