Observing and recording astronomical objects
Section 1: telescopes
Astronomers use a telescope to observe distant things. Curved mirrors are used by most telescopes,
including all large telescopes, to collect and concentrate light from the night sky. The original
telescopes employed lenses, which are simply curved pieces of transparent glass, to focus light.
Refracting telescopes are constructed using lenses. As in eyeglasses, a lens bends the light that
passes through it. This lessens the haziness of objects in glasses. It makes distant objects appear
closer in a telescope. Since the convex lens bends light to magnify objects by enlarging them, the
telescope must have one convex lens as one of its two lenses. In some telescope designs, the
concave lens is utilised to increase the focal length. An optical system's focal length indicates how
strongly the system converges or diverges light. A system with a positive focal length is said to
converge light, and one with a negative focal length is said to diverge light.
The majority of telescopes will fall into one of three categories: reflectors, catadioptric and
refractors. Refracting telescopes uses lenses to bend and focus the light. Reflecting telescopes uses
mirrors whilst catadioptric uses a combination of lenses and mirrors. Refracting telescopes are good
for viewing bright objects as they produce high contrast images with little distortion, and reflecting
telescopes can gather more light so are better for faint objects. Catadioptric telescopes can be used
for a wide range of objects like planets and galaxies and produce high quality images because they
combine the strengths of both refracting and reflecting telescopes. All these telescopes use the
visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum to observe celestial objects.
Reflector telescopes are used in a variety of settings, both by amateur astronomers and by
professionals. They are often used for observing deep-sky objects like galaxies and nebulae, as well
as for studying the moon and planets in our own solar system. Some observatories also use reflector
telescopes for research purposes, such as studying exoplanets and other celestial phenomena.
Refractor telescopes are also used for a variety of purposes, including observing the planets and
moon in our own solar system, as well as studying stars and other objects in the night sky. They are
often used by amateur astronomers for stargazing and can be used for astrophotography. Refractor
telescopes are also used in some observatories for research purposes, such as studying the
atmosphere of planets around other stars.
, Catadioptric telescopes are a type of telescope that uses both mirrors and lenses to gather and focus
light. They are often used by amateur astronomers and can be a good choice for people who want a
telescope that is portable and easy to use. Catadioptric telescopes are also used in some
observatories for research purposes, such as studying the atmosphere of planets around the other
stars.
Space telescopes are telescopes that are launched into orbit around the earth to observe the
universe from space. They can observe the universe in wavelengths that are not visible from the
ground, such as ultraviolet, Xray and gamma ray radiation. Some examples of space telescopes
include the Hubble space telescope, the Chandra x ray observatory and the spitzer space telescope.
These telescopes have made many important discoveries and have greatly expanded our
understanding of the universe.
The Hubble space telescope is used to observe the universe in visible, ultraviolet and near infrared
wavelengths of light. It has made many important discoveries, such as the accelerating expansion of
the universe, the presence of dark matter, and the formation and evolution of galaxies. The Hubble
has also been used to study the atmospheres of planets in our solar system and to observe the birth
and death of stars.
The Chandra x-ray observatory telescope is used to observe the universe in x-ray wavelengths of
light. It is able to observe high-energy phenomena such as supernovae, blackholes and galaxy
clusters. It has made many important discoveries, such as detection of x-ray emissions from dark
matter and the discovery of the largest known structure in the universe, the “sausage” galaxy
cluster. The Chandra also has been used to study the atmosphere of planets in our solar system and
to observe the birth and death of stars in x-ray light.
