answersLogoWhite

0

How the telescope works In orbit about 380 miles (610 kilometers) above the earth, the Hubble Space Telescope views the heavens without looking through the earth's atmosphere. The atmosphere bends light due to a phenomenon known as diffraction, and the atmosphere is constantly moving. This combination of diffraction and movement causes starlight to jiggle about as it passes through the air, and so stars appear to twinkle. Twinkling blurs images seen through ground-based telescopes. Because an orbiting telescope is above the atmosphere, it can produce pictures in much finer detail than a ground-based telescope can. This false-color image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope using infrared light shows Uranus's rings and clouds. The different colors in the image represent different atmospheric conditions. Image credit: NASA The Hubble Space Telescope can also observe ultraviolet and infrared light that is blocked by the atmosphere. These forms of light, like visible light, are electromagnetic radiation. The wavelength (distance between successive wave crests) of ultraviolet light is shorter than that of visible light. Infrared light has longer wavelengths than visible light. Ultraviolet light comes from highly energetic processes, such as the formation of disks around black holes and exploding stars. Infrared light provides information about cooler, calmer events, such as the formation of dust clouds around new stars. The United States space agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), operates the Hubble Space Telescope in cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA). The telescope is controlled by radio commands relayed from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Astronomers tell the telescope where to point, and computer -- driven instruments aboard the telescope record the resulting observations. The telescope transmits the data by radio to astronomers on the ground. The Hubble Space Telescope has two kinds of instruments: (1) imagers, which take pictures; and (2) spectrographs, which analyze light. Imagers are electronic detectors called charge -- coupled devices (CCD's). The CCD's convert light into electronic signals, which an on -- board computer records and sends to the ground. A spectrograph, like a prism, spreads light into its component colors, much as water droplets spread sunlight into a rainbow. The resulting band of light is called a spectrum (plural spectra). Using spectrographic data from the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers can determine the composition of stars and galaxies--measuring, for example, the amounts of hydrogen, carbon, and other chemical elements in them How the telescope works In orbit about 380 miles (610 kilometers) above the earth, the Hubble Space Telescope views the heavens without looking through the earth's atmosphere. The atmosphere bends light due to a phenomenon known as diffraction, and the atmosphere is constantly moving. This combination of diffraction and movement causes starlight to jiggle about as it passes through the air, and so stars appear to twinkle. Twinkling blurs images seen through ground-based telescopes. Because an orbiting telescope is above the atmosphere, it can produce pictures in much finer detail than a ground-based telescope can. This false-color image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope using infrared light shows Uranus's rings and clouds. The different colors in the image represent different atmospheric conditions. Image credit: NASA The Hubble Space Telescope can also observe ultraviolet and infrared light that is blocked by the atmosphere. These forms of light, like visible light, are electromagnetic radiation. The wavelength (distance between successive wave crests) of ultraviolet light is shorter than that of visible light. Infrared light has longer wavelengths than visible light. Ultraviolet light comes from highly energetic processes, such as the formation of disks around black holes and exploding stars. Infrared light provides information about cooler, calmer events, such as the formation of dust clouds around new stars. The United States space agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), operates the Hubble Space Telescope in cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA). The telescope is controlled by radio commands relayed from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Astronomers tell the telescope where to point, and computer -- driven instruments aboard the telescope record the resulting observations. The telescope transmits the data by radio to astronomers on the ground. The Hubble Space Telescope has two kinds of instruments: (1) imagers, which take pictures; and (2) spectrographs, which analyze light. Imagers are electronic detectors called charge -- coupled devices (CCD's). The CCD's convert light into electronic signals, which an on -- board computer records and sends to the ground. A spectrograph, like a prism, spreads light into its component colors, much as water droplets spread sunlight into a rainbow. The resulting band of light is called a spectrum (plural spectra). Using spectrographic data from the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers can determine the composition of stars and galaxies--measuring, for example, the amounts of hydrogen, carbon, and other chemical elements in them

User Avatar

Wiki User

17y ago

What else can I help you with?

Continue Learning about Natural Sciences

When will the hubble be decommissioned?

No further maintenance or upgrade of the Hubble Space Telescope is planned following the last work on it during 2009. It's hoped that Hubble will hold together and continue in operation until the Webb Space Telescope is launched in 2014.


What fuel does the Hubble Space Telescope run on?

HST uses no fuel at all - it was designed to be an orbital repair satellite from the beginning, and the Shuttle that performs each Servicing Mission boosts it back into a higher orbit after they're done working on it. All power comes from the huge twin solar panels on each side. Since no more missions are planned (don't hold your breath - HST is NASA's largest PR cash cow), HST will eventually decay until it burns up in the atmosphere.


What part does light play in a telescope?

many such as magnifyingThey take objects that are at a distance and magnify them using mirrors and/or lenses.the use of a telescope is so you can see in to space clearly


How much does a telescope that can see neptune cost?

Telescopes that can see Neptune typically range in price from a few hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on the quality, size, and features of the telescope. High-quality telescopes with advanced features will generally cost more.


What is more important a microscope or a telescope?

according to me both are equally important. in science, smallest of the things hold a great importance. space science has always fasinated man and thus telescope is a wonderful discovery till today because scientists get to know more and more about this unknown world. microscopes are of great importance too, because we get to see the structures too small to be seen through naked eyes and we get to know about the complexity of our own body structure. so both are at equal post and both are equally important.

Related Questions

When will the hubble be decommissioned?

No further maintenance or upgrade of the Hubble Space Telescope is planned following the last work on it during 2009. It's hoped that Hubble will hold together and continue in operation until the Webb Space Telescope is launched in 2014.


Are there any new versions of the Hubble Telescope?

No - though the James Webb Space Telescope will be a partial successor, it's primary observation will be in the infrared spectrum, and will not be sensitive to all light wavelengths that HST currently observes. JWST's primary mission is to observe the faintest objects in the universe.There are several other space telescopes; HST is just the most noted and has the most capability. The telescopes in NASA's "Great Observatories" program are:Hubble Space Telescope (HST)Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO)Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXRO)Spitzer Space Telescope (SST) - Named for Lyman Spitzer, "Father of the Space Telescope"Though the scheduled end of life for HST is a few years off, I wouldn't hold my breath; after working on it for many years, I and many others know that the importance of HST to NASA as a PR tool is invaluable, as well as the amount of data it brings to the scientific community. I'd be willing to bet they'll conjur up another Servicing Mission at some point.


What fuel does the Hubble Space Telescope run on?

HST uses no fuel at all - it was designed to be an orbital repair satellite from the beginning, and the Shuttle that performs each Servicing Mission boosts it back into a higher orbit after they're done working on it. All power comes from the huge twin solar panels on each side. Since no more missions are planned (don't hold your breath - HST is NASA's largest PR cash cow), HST will eventually decay until it burns up in the atmosphere.


What holds space?

there have to be a bit of gravity to hold space


Do galaxies hold everything in space?

No. Space holds everything in space. Galaxies are held in space by space.


What is a space for cargo called on a ship?

Hold - as in a cargo hold.


What does a pirate hold up to his eye to see out to sea?

its called a telescope and in science they may use a microscope


How much space is 48 mega bytes?

KB = Kilo(1000)byte A KB of data can hold 2^10 =1024 Bytes of Information


How much information can a 16 GB iPad hold?

The average song takes about 4 MB of space, the average photo around 500k of space and the average movie around 1.5 GB of space. This means a 16 GB iPad could hold 10 feature-length movies, 4,000 songs or up to 32,000 photographs.


What is the best telescope in the world and why is it considered superior to others?

The best telescope in the world is generally considered to be the Hubble Space Telescope. It is superior to others because it orbits above Earth's atmosphere, which eliminates distortion caused by atmospheric conditions. This allows Hubble to capture incredibly clear and detailed images of distant galaxies, stars, and other celestial objects.


What disk limits disk space usage to user?

The disk size is defined by the manufacturer. You can't store more information than the disk can hold, just like you can't store more water in a jar that it can hold.


How many records can Oracle Database hold?

It depends how much space you have left on your server; the more space you have, the more records it can hold.