What are the ways have worked around the problems of optical telescopes?

Answer 1

Images from outer space have to go through the atmosphere in order to reach telescopes based on Earth. The atmosphere can distort and block light and thus obscure the images. Telescopes based in space, such as the Hubble, don't deal with this limitation.

Answer 2

Optical telescopes depend on visible light, which can be obscured by haze, blocked by clouds, or affected by condensation on the optical elements. Depending on the size and construction of the telescope, it can be affected by structural issues regarding its weight.

Answer 3

The engineers who were making the mirror had time constraints so they did not properly test the mirror before they sent it in space. They measured some error as well but did not bother to fix it.

The mirror was too flat by 2.2 microns, which presented spherical aberration, a phenomenon that focuses the images/light at a different point than it was supposed to.

This meant that the light hitting the edge of the mirrors reflected the light further away than the light hitting the center of the mirror, so the image became blurry.

Answer 4

A defect that happens with lenses (refracting telescopes), but not with mirrors, is the chromatic aberration: lenses have a different index of refraction for different wavelengths of light, i.e. colors. Thus, if the telescope is optimized for a certain color, light of another color will be slightly distorted.

Answer 5

There are a few problems with infrared telescope technology such as, infrared wavelengths are absorbed by water vapor in earth's atmosphere and infrared telescopes must be kept cool. Astronomers have to place infrared telescopes on high mountains above the clouds so that the wavelengths aren't absorbed by the water vapor. Since infrared energy is heat energy, it's hard to keep the telescopes cool. If an infrared telescope is not kept cool it may detect itself and won't pick up on weak infrared sources out in space.

Answer 6

The only problems currently faced in telescope technoogy are the physical limitations of grinding lenses and machining the tubes and parts; you can only get so accurate, even with electron microscopes to help, before it is impossible to get better.

Answer 7

A refractor telescope is the type with the minimum number of problems. The main problem with a simple one would be that it might not be big enough to gather enough light to give a well defined image.

For serious amateur astronomy a 3 inch or 76 mm refractor is advisable, preferably with a solidly made equatorial mount. That allows the telescope to follow stars and planets more easily as the Earth rotates under it.