How far has telescopes gone out in the Solar System?

Answer 1

Using the Hubble Space Telescope we have seen 13 billion light years into space, these are some of the very first galaxies to form after the big bang. [Search for "hubble space telescope ultra deep field images" to see the actual images.]

Although technology is always improving, we can never see much further than this point in time.

The problem is the time it takes for light to travel to Earth. The light we see from these very first galaxies have been travelling for 13 billion years to reach us, so really we are looking back in time. In them 13 billion years the light has been travelling to us, the universe has already expanded another 13 billion years. The reality is that many of the stars that make up these galaxies no longer exist in the same way we are seeing them today.

Theoretically, if the edge of the universe emitted visible light and stopped expanding today, we would still have to wait 13.7 billion years (the current age of the universe) before we would be able to notice. Therefore how far we can see is always governed by the time it takes for light to reach us.

If you think about it - the light we see from these very first galaxies was emitted before life and the Earth even existed! Bare in mind that light travels so fast it could go around the Earth 7 times in 1 second...

Answer 2

Telescopes have the capability to observe objects throughout the Solar System from Earth, including planets, moons, and distant objects like asteroids and comets. Telescopic observations have provided valuable insights into the properties and dynamics of various Solar System bodies.

Answer 3

The Hubble telescope can see 13.7 billion light years away (pretty much the edge of the universe). But I have no idea how far you can see. Also, considering that the universe is expanding, everyday we can see a little bit further.

Answer 4

Telescopes have been aboard the spacecraft that have gone beyond the edge of the solar system. Zond, Phobos, Mars96, Mariner, Pioneer, Voyager, Galileo, and Cassini programs have sent many to all the planets except Pluto. And Pluto is no longer considered a planet. More craft have been sent to comets and asteroids.The farthest reaching ones are the two Voyager craft, that have gone far beyond Neptune. Each was carrying a fine telescope to image planets and moons during flybys.

Answer 5

How long is a piece of string? It depends on the strength of the telescope, check the box or the telescope it should have the magnification written on it. Also, you may not get this immediately, but any telescope picks up ONLY light that falls upon it, not matter how far away the object you are looking at. So telescopes really don't 'see' or 'detect' any distance at all. They just have varying abilities to focus and concentrate the light that comes to them.

Answer 6

The Hubble telescope cannot see the end of the universe but it can take photographs of distant nebulas, stars, etc. that are closer to the edge of the universe (and thus to its beginning) than earlier telescopes could.

Answer 7

The outer limit of the theorised Oort cloud is about the limit of our sun's gravitational dominance and so the limit of the solar system. The outer limits of this cloud, made up of billions of comets and debris, is thought to reach out to a distance of around 50,000 Astronomical Units (where one astronomical unit is the sun to earth distance).

This puts the outer limit at 1200 or more times further out than Pluto, around one light year or a quarter of the distance to our next nearest star, Proxima Centauri.

Answer 8

The present state-of-the-art equipment for astronomical observation is detecting

objects that are roughly 14.5 billion light years away. That's the present limit.

Nobody knows what's past that, or for how much farther

Answer 9

Hubble can see somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 billion light years into space (knows as "the observable universe). That would be about 120,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 miles.

Answer 10

It's limit is 13.8 billion light years. THAT is pretty far!!!!!!!!!!!!