What is the hubble telescope made out of?

Answer 1

How is a telescope made?

A telescope is a device used to form images of distant objects. The most familiar kind of telescope is an optical telescope, which uses a series of lens-1 or a curved mirror to focus visible light. An optical telescope which uses lenses is known as a refracting-telescope or a refractor; one which uses a mirror is known as a reflecting telescope or a reflector. Besides optical telescopes, astronomers also use telescopes that focus radio waves, X-rays, and other forms of electromagnetic radiation. Telescopes vary in size and sophistication from homemade spyglasses built from cardboard tubes to arrays of house-sized radio telescopes stretching over many miles.

The earliest known telescope was a refractor built by the Dutch eyeglass maker Hans Lippershey in 1608 after he accidentally viewed objects through two different eyeglass lenses held a distance apart. He called his invention a kijker, "looker" in Dutch, and intended it for military use. In 1609, the Italian scientist Galilei built his own telescopes and was the first person to make astronomical observations using them. These early telescopes consisted of two glass lenses set within a hollow tube and were rather small; Galileo's largest instrument was about 47 inches (120 cm) long and 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter. Astronomers such as Johannes Kepler in Germany and Christian Huygens in Holland built larger, more powerful telescopes throughout the 1600s. Soon these telescopes got too large to be easily controlled by hand and required permanent mounts. Some were more than 197 feet (60 m) long.

The ability to construct enormous telescopes outpaced the ability of glassmakers to manufacture appropriate lenses for them. In particular, the problems caused by chromatic-aberration (the tendency for a lens to focus each color of light at a different point, leading to a blurred-2 image) became acute for very large telescopes. Scientists of the time knew of no way to avoid this problem with lenses, so they designed telescopes using curved mirrors instead.

In 1663, the Scottish mathematician James Gregory designed the first reflecting telescope. Alternate designs for reflectors were invented by the English scientist Isaac newton in 1668 and the French scientist N. Cassegrain in 1672. All three designs are still in use today. In the 1600s, there was no good way to coat glass with a thin reflective film, as is done today to make mirrors, so these early reflectors used mirrors made out of polished metal. Newton used a mixture of copper, tin, and arsenic to produce a mirror which could only reflect 16% of the light it received; today's mirrors reflect nearly 100% of the light that hits them.

It had been known as early as 1730 that chromatic aberration could be minimized by replacing the main lens of the telescope with two properly shaped lenses made from two different kinds of glass, but it was not until the early 1800s that the science of glassmaking was advanced enough to make this technique practical. By the end of the 19th century, refract telescopes with lenses up to a meter in diameter were constructed, and these are still the largest refracting telescopes in operation.

Reflectors once again dominated refractors in the 20th century, when techniques for constructing very large, very accurate mirrors were developed. The world's largest optical telescopes are all reflectors, with mirrors up to 19 feet (6 m) in diameter

Answer 2

The only important parts are the lenses, which are made of high-quality glass. (The lenses for cheap telescopes are plastic, which causes a lot of distortion. ) Then there are parts to hold the lenses in place, and in the proper orientation. Those used to be made of steel, but aluminum is lighter and no more expensive these days.

Astronomical telescopes don't need a tube around them to keep stray light out, but for portable telescopes, the tube also serves to help keep the _dust_ out.

All lenses whether plastic or glass produce distortion, the best glass lenses are very costly though. The mechanical parts which hold the lenses in place need to be well built as well or else the lenses will shift out of alignment and cause bad images.

Some telescopes large and small use a Serrurier truss, an open design which is light weight, while other telescopes being large or small, use solid tubes. One use of a tube is to prevent light from falling upon the mirror, which in some designs can decrease contrast in the image being viewed.

Answer 3

Just like a ground based telescope the Hubble space telescope is made of metal, mirrors and cameras along with other scientific instruments.

The key differences is that it also needs solar panels for power, batteries, communication equipment and guidance positioning equipment.

Rabit and monkey turds with just a wee bit of midget and skunk brain in the radar functions.

Answer 4

HST's spacecraft body is comprised primarily of high temper aluminum alloy (e.g., 6061-T6) and titanium alloys, as are most if the instruments and science experiments on board. It's fasteners are stainless steel or other non-corrosive high temp metals.

What's not generally known is that HST, like most spacecraft, has corrosion protective coatings on all of its metal surfaces to prevent corrosion. This is because oxygen exists at the molecular level in space, and due to the constant change in temperature when HST goes through the day/night terminator during orbit, it's possible for condensation to occur within the spacecraft.

Answer 5

The Hubble Space Telescope is primarily made of aluminum, with a graphite-epoxy frame. It also contains other materials such as stainless steel, titanium, and beryllium in various components. These materials were chosen for their lightweight, durable, and non-corrosive properties to withstand the harsh conditions of space.

Answer 6

I'm not positive, but it was in the 1600's so i'd probably guess wood and glass. it might have been some kind of metal though.

Answer 7

Just take a plain piece of paper and wrap it into a tube.

Of course, you have to put lenses on both ends and properly collimate and focus them...