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Optical telescopes use either lens' (refractory) or mirrors (reflective) to magnify light. Radio telescopes use dishes to pick up radio waves. sensors on the dishes collect the waves and turn them into a picture

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Are optical telescopes much bigger then radio telescopes?

No they are not bigger then radio telescopes at all.


How are the telescopes Keck I and Keck II different from radio telescope?

They are optical telescopes.


Why doesnt the surface of a radio telescope have to be as flawless as the surface of a mirror in an optical telescope?

The surface of a radio telescope doesn't have to be as flawless as the surface of an optical telescope because the radio telescope is collecting radio waves, something that will not be affected by faults in the glass. Optical telescopes, on the other hand, are collecting light, where faults in the surface can interfere with the image.


Why are radio telescopes typically built so large compared with optical telescopes?

Radio telescopes are much larger than optical telescopes because of wavelength. Earth's atmosphere has two major "windows" where it is transparent to photons: 300 nm - 800 nm: optical wavelength window (approximate) 30 mm - 30 m: radio wavelength window (approximate) Even the shortest-wavelengths used by radio telescopes at around 30 mm are still thousands of times longer than the longest wavelengths used by optical telescopes. The wavelength has 2 effects on the size of a telescope: * The angular resolution (in order to distinguish 2 nearby stars, FWHM) depends on the wavelength/aperture ratio. Radio-frequency photons require a wider aperture to focus than visible-light-frequency photons, so radio telescopes *must* be larger to get a reasonable resolution. * A telescope typically requires the collecting area to be aligned within 1/10 of the wavelength it is designed for. Because it is almost impossible to get all the parts of a sufficiently large telescope aligned to within 80 nm, radio telescopes *can* be built much larger.


What advantages does a radio telescope have over an optical telescope?

Quasars and some pulsars are dim in the visible light range. In the radio spectrum, however, they're extremely bright, and as such observing them in telescopes that observe these wavelengths is more beneficial.

Related Questions

What is the difference between optical and radio?

Optical telescopes use either lens' (refractory) or mirrors (reflective) to magnify light. Radio telescopes use dishes to pick up radio waves. sensors on the dishes collect the waves and turn them into a picture


How radio telescopes differ from optical telescopes.?

Radio telescopes collect radio waves. Optical telescopes capture visible light waves.


Are optical telescopes much bigger then radio telescopes?

No they are not bigger then radio telescopes at all.


How do radio telescope different from optical telescope?

Radio telescopes collect radio waves. Optical telescopes capture visible light waves.


How do radio telescope operate?

As far as I know, there is no "optical radio telescope". There are, separately, optical telescopes (which work with visible light), and radio telescopes (which work with radio waves).


In what ways are radio telescopes better than optical telescopes?

Both types of telescope collect and focus electromagnetic radiation for observational purposes, the difference is their band of observed frequencies. Radio telescopes are used for the radio frequencies ( ~3km - ~30cm) while optical telescopes are used for frequencies closer to visible light ( ~0.7μm - ~0.4μm). Optical telescopes may also be able to detect infrared and ultraviolet light.


Do Optical telescopes have poorer resolution than radio telescopes?

Not necessarily.


How do optical radio telescopes operate?

As far as I know, there is no "optical radio telescope". There are, separately, optical telescopes (which work with visible light), and radio telescopes (which work with radio waves).


How do optical telescopes and radio telescopes gather info about stars?

using radio waves it collects the data.


How are the telescopes Keck I and Keck II different from radio telescope?

They are optical telescopes.


Are radio telescopes detect objects that optical telescopes cannot?

Yes, that is correct.


Which of the following is not a property of optical telescopes?

Ability to detect radio waves is not a property of optical telescopes. Optical telescopes are designed to detect and focus visible light to form images of distant objects in space. Radio telescopes, on the other hand, are specifically designed to detect and study radio waves emitted by celestial objects.