How do we observe objects in space?

How do we observe objects

in space?

By Mike Cummings

​Early observations of the

night sky could only be

done with our eyes. Early

cultures relied only on

their vision to map out

star patterns, create

fairly accurate calendars

​based on what they saw.

It is remarkable how

accurate they really

were in their study of

space with such limited

knowledge.​

​In 1610, Galileo Galilei, an Italian astronomer, used a telescope to look into the night sky for observation for the first time.​ Galileo is considered to be the "Father of Astronomy."

​

The primitive telescope pictured was his creation. A telescope is

an instrument that makes distant objects appear brighter,

larger and nearer.​ Up until this time most people believed that everything revolved around Earth instead of the Sun.

Multiple Choice

Who is considered the "Father of Astronomy?"

• Nicolas

  Copernicus

• Edwin

  Hubble

• Johannas

  Kepler

• Galileo

  Galilei

Multiple Choice

What is the scientific instrument used to make distant

objects appear larger, brighter and closer.

• binoculars

• microscopes

• telescopes

• stethescopes

​Optical

Telescopes

​Optical telescopes such as the one Galileo

used required special lenses to

aid in collecting the visible light in space.

With Galileo's ​telescope, he was able to pick

out Jupiter and four of its moons.

​

Later in the advancement of optical telescopes mirrors were added and the lenses improved making it easier to see in space.​

Also, cameras and computers are now used

to help locate and photograph better images.​

Multiple Choice

Which type of telescope collects "visible light" for us

to see images of space?

• radio telescopes

• optical telescopes

• space telescopes

Multiple Select

What is used to allow us to see

images through optical telescopes? (choose all that apply)

• radio waves

• mirrors

• lenses

• satelite dishes

With the advancement of specialized lenses, objects like stars appear brighter, larger and show more details. The larger the lenses and mirrors the better the images appear. The optical telescope above is the largest in the world, it is capable of seeing a candle flame coming from the moon!

​

The draw back for optical telescopes is that they have to "Peer" through the atmosphere which can distort images due to pollution, water vapor, air currents and clouds​.​ Most of these are built high up at the tops of mountains to avoid some of the atmospheric disturbances.

Multiple Choice

Where are large optical telescopes located?

• in deserts

• the tops of

  mountains

• on the open plains

• in the polar regions

Multiple Select

What has helped with the advancement

of optical telescopes? (choose all that apply)

• bigger and better lenses

• locating them at the top of mountains

• better mirrors

• improved cameras

Multiple Select

What is the major problem with using

optical telescopes on Earth? (choose all that apply)

• pollution can

  distort images

• water vapor in

  the air can

  affect images

• wind currents

  can interfere

  with light images

• clouds can

  block light from space

​Hubble Space Telescope

Chandra Space Telescope

Keplar Space Telescope

James Webb Space Telescope

​Space Telescopes

​Edwin Hubble was a famous astronomer in the early to mid 1900's whose observations advanced our knowledge of galaxies and how stars formed inside of nebulae. Because of his advancement in astronomy, the first space telescope was named after him. The Hubble was set in orbit in the mid-1980's and is still taking in images today.

Multiple Choice

Who is the Hubble Space Telescope named after?

• Arnold

  Hubble

• Galileo Galilei

• Albert

  Hubble

• Edwin

  Hubble

​The upper picture shows the Hubble Space Telescope. Since Hubble other telescopes such as Chandra, Spitzer and Kepler have joined to increase our knowledge of space.

​

The newest space telescope to join these others is the James Webb Space Telescope (lower picture.) It is the newest and most advanced telescope to date. Put in space in December of 2021, the JWST is supposed to make observations way beyond the realm of the other space telescopes. It is 100 times more powerful than Hubble.

​

Even though the JWST has just recently been sent into space, scientists have now turned to create the next generation of telescope that is to be even better than JWST!!

Multiple Choice

How many more times powerful is the James Webb than Hubble?

• 100 times

• 50 times

• 1000 times

• 10 times

Multiple Choice

The Hubble is the only space telescope we have

orbiting the Earth.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

What is the name of the newest space telescope

that was launched into space in December of 2021?

• Chandra

• James Webb

• Kepler

• Spitzer

​Space telescopes are far better than

conventional optical telescopes on

Earth because they are above the

atmosphere and are not​ influenced by atmospheric disturbances such

as pollution, water vapor and moving

air currents.

Multiple Choice

Why are space telescopes better than

land based optical telescopes?

• the are bigger

• they are closer

  to the stars

• they avoid the

  atmosphere

• they need to orbit

  Earth to work

​Clear images like nebulas, supernovas and far off distant galaxies can be photographed, making for stunning pictures!​

​Radio Telescopes

​Radio telescopes use antennae/satellite dishes to pick up radio waves given off by objects in space. The satellite dishes are capable of picking up radio waves from distant parts of the universe. The radio waves found in the electromagnetic spectrum are then run through a computer and an image is created.

Multiple Select

What are radio waves? (choose all that apply)

• the electromagnetic spectrum

• made from a radio

• visible and invisible waves

  of energy

• music waves

  coming from

  other planets

Multiple Choice

What is it that converts radio waves

into images that we can see?

• televisions

• computers

• calculators

• satellite dishes

​One of the advantages of radio telescopes

is that they can be connected to other

radio telescopes anywhere around the world!

​

Radio telescopes working in groups are

known as "arrays!" This allows the

telescopes and computers to "talk" or

share data with each other.​

Multiple Choice

What are groups of radio telescopes called?

• pods

• packs

• schools

• arrays

Multiple Select

Why are arrays beneficial with

radio telescopes? (choose all that apply)

• they can share

  information

• they can all

  look in the same

  region to collect data

• the computers can communicate with each other

• they can gather more information than just one

  telescope

​Radio telescopes can also be made very large! This allows them to collect more data at one time. The radio telescope shown above is the largest in the world. It is located in mountains in China and is over 5 football fields across.

Multiple Choice

Why is there an advantage to

having such large radio telescopes?

• They can gather more

  radio wave signals and more data

  at one time

• there is no

  advantage

• they can break

  the Guiness Book of World Records

• so they can have

  bigger computers

  working

Multiple Choice

The largest radio telescope can be found in the country of;

• Canada

• China

• Chile

• Australia

​Another advantage to radio telescopes is that the electromagnetic spectrum can pass right through Earth's atmosphere without interruptions. ​

​

Radio telescopes can be designed to collect all different types of​ radio waves found in the electromagnetic spectrum. This allows for us to collect different types of data.​

Multiple Select

Why do radio telescopes have a better advantage

than optical telescopes? (choose all that apply)

• they can collect

  more types of electromagnetic waves

• radio waves can

  pass right through

  the atmosphere

• they can be connected to other telescopes around the world

• radio telescopes can be used to pick up more than just visible light

​These pictures are taken with

radio telescopes. Using these

types of telescopes allows us

to collect data from parts of

the spectrum outside of visible

light. The pictures on the right

were taken of infrared radio

waves. These we can't see under

normal circumstances. Infrared

shows the heat given off by an

object like the planets shown.​

Multiple Choice

Radio telescopes be made to pick up infrared waves of energy. These waves

are given off by objects as;

• light

• heat

• microwaves

• radio waves