Category Archives: Instruments

includes telescopes and space probes

Telescopes and Turbulence

    There are many problems that earth-based telescopes must cope with. Besides light pollution, the largest one is dealing …

Continue reading

Continue reading

Posted in Class, Instruments, Universe | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Telescopes and Turbulence

Astronomical Satellites

Astronomical Satellites are observatories of some sort that are in orbit around Earth. These observatories vary greatly in specifically what and how they observe, but they all share the same rational for being in space, instead of on Earth. On … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Class, Instruments, Universe | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Astronomical Satellites

Blog #4: Telescopes

Even though I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, I have never taken the time to visit the renowned Griffith Observatory until this past winter break.  After my trip, I found my awestruck in wonder by the breathtaking beauty of the night sky.  It is difficult to see stars in the city since […] Continue reading

Posted in Instruments | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Blog #4: Telescopes

The Largest Telescope in the World

Larger telescopes allow for better angular resolution, which allows for us to discern between two light producing objects that are close together.  Therefore, telescopes are ever increasing in size to get better and better images.  Beating out telescopes called “Very Large Telescope” and “South African Large Telescope”, the Arecibo Radio Telescope in Puerto Rico is […] Continue reading

Posted in Class, Instruments, Light | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Largest Telescope in the World

The Invention of the Telescope

The telescope was most likely invented in 1608 by a German eyeglass maker named Hans Lippershey, although there is some uncertainty. Another eyeglass maker from the Netherlands, named Jacob Metius, filed for a patent soon after Lippershey and a third man, named Sacharias Janssen, later claimed to be the creator.  Despite these claims, Lippershey is […] Continue reading

Posted in Class, Instruments | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Invention of the Telescope

Hubble Space Telescope

The Hubble Space Telescope was launched in 1990 and is still in service today. Just as Galileo’s first telescope opened the door to a new world beyond what the naked eyes can see, the Hubble Space Telescope broke through heaven’s gates and showed us a world beyond the boundaries of space-time, capturing even images of […] Continue reading

Posted in Instruments | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Hubble Space Telescope

World’s Largest Telescope To Expand Our Horizons

Image and Information Source Currently, the largest telescope in the world is the Gran Telescopio Canarias, which has an aperture size of about 10.4 meters. However, plans to build an even larger telescope were recently approved. This new telescope will be built at the summit of Hawaii’s Mauna Kea volcano, and will cost an alarming […] Continue reading

Posted in Instruments | Tagged , , | Comments Off on World’s Largest Telescope To Expand Our Horizons

Size and Expansion of the Universe

I have always thought that the universe is almost unfathomably huge, but until recently I had not spent much time contemplating how humans have determined this. While reading about the topic, I came across information about the Hubble Space Telescope. Not being familiar with astronomy, I did not know much about it or its purpose. […] Continue reading

Posted in Instruments, Universe | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Size and Expansion of the Universe

Voyager 1

Voyager 1 launched in 1977 in order to collect data and research the outer planets of our solar system. Currently, 11.5 billion miles from Earth, scientists are having some difficulty determining when exactly the Voyager is going to leave the solar system. It has completed its mission of surveying the outer planets, such as Saturn, […] Continue reading

Posted in Class, Instruments, Universe | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Voyager 1

Benfits of Astronomy on Earth

            Astronomical research does not just benefit the limited field of astronomy; rather it serves to improve many other fields of study. From the first missions into orbit to current research of interstellar travel, astronomy has benefited our standard of living here on Earth. Many people have heard that memory foam was invented by […] Continue reading

Posted in Instruments | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Benfits of Astronomy on Earth