Telescopes

Essay by Kgirl11531967Junior High, 9th gradeA+, July 2005

download word file, 1 pages 3.0

Downloaded 1214 times

The main reason larger telescopes are being built is to increase the power of viewing distance so the universe can be studied in greater detail. Special solar telescopes have been constructed for research of the Sun that requires the use of tools such as spectroheliographs and coronagraphs. These telescopes are mounted in towers and have a very powerful focus points. The focus points are so advanced that one can look at an individual wavelengths of the sun's electromagnetic spectrum in vast detail.

Terra, launched in December 1999, was put into orbit to observe the land, air and ocean. The 10,560 lb satellite featured five surveillance instruments, which monitored phenomena on Earth, air pollution, weather patterns and wildfires. Located at the Whipple Observatory in Arizona, the Multiple Mirror Telescope is extremely advanced and has helped a great deal in the research of our galaxy. The MMT has six mirrors mounted in a solitary structure.

The mirrors are automatically aligned at regular intervals over a certain period of time. A series of Orbiting Astronomical Observatories (OAOs) have been launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The most advanced system placed in Earth's orbit is the Hubble Space Telescope, launched in 1990, and is an optical-ultraviolet telescope.