Telescopes

Telescopes

A telescope is an instrument designed to collect

and magnify electromagnetic radiation (visible
light and other wavelengths) from distant objects.
They are categorized into optical telescopes
(visible light) and non-optical telescopes (e.g.,
radio, infrared, X-ray).
 Types of Telescopes

1. Refracting Telescope: Uses lenses to bend and focus light.

2. Reflecting Telescope: Uses mirrors to gather and focus light.
3. Radio Telescope: Detects radio waves from space.
4. Space Telescopes: Operate above Earth’s atmosphere to
avoid distortions
 The Hubble Space Telescope (HST)

• Launch Date: April 24, 1990.

• Orbit: Low Earth orbit (about 540 km
above Earth).
• Primary Mirror: 2.4 meters in diameter.
• Operator: NASA, with contributions from
ESA (European Space Agency).
 Key Features - HST

• Operates primarily in the visible, ultraviolet, and near-

infrared wavelengths.

• Free from atmospheric distortion, providing sharp

images of celestial objects.
 Contributions - HST

1. Deep Space Exploration:

o Captured the famous Hubble Deep Field image, showing thousands of distant galaxies.
2. Cosmology:
o Contributed to determining the rate of the universe's expansion (Hubble constant).
3. Planetary Science:
o Provided detailed views of planets in our solar system.
4. Star Formation:
o Offered insights into nebulae and star-forming regions.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)

• Launch Date: December 25, 2021.

• Orbit: Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange Point, about 1.5 million
km from Earth.
• Primary Mirror: 6.5 meters in diameter, made of
beryllium and gold-coated.
• Operator: NASA, ESA, and CSA (Canadian Space
Agency).
 Key Features

• Operates in the infrared spectrum, allowing observation of

distant, cold, or obscured objects.

• Equipped with advanced instruments like the NIRCam,

NIRSpec, MIRI, and FGS/NIRISS.
 Contributions

1. Formation of Galaxies:
o Observes the first galaxies formed after the Big Bang.
2. Exoplanet Studies:
o Analyzes atmospheres of exoplanets for potential habitability.
3. Star and Planet Formation:
o Captures stellar nurseries and protoplanetary disks in unprecedented
detail.
4. Cosmic Origins:
o Studies the early stages of the universe and star formation.
 Comparison with Hubble

• Wavelengths: Webb observes mainly in infrared, while

Hubble focuses on visible and ultraviolet light.
• Mirror Size: Webb’s mirror is more than twice the
diameter of Hubble’s, enabling higher resolution.
• Location: Webb is much farther from Earth, ensuring
minimal interference from Earth’s heat and light.
 Importance of Space Telescopes

• Atmospheric Clarity: Earth’s atmosphere absorbs and distorts

many wavelengths of light, so space telescopes have clearer
views.
• Cosmic Reach: Enables observation of distant and faint objects.
• Scientific Advancements: Provides critical data on the origin,
evolution, and structure of the universe.
 Types of Telescopes

Telescopes can be classified into several types based on their optical design and purpose
 Optical Telescopes
 Refractor Telescopes
 Reflector Telescopes
 Catadioptric Telescopes
 Other Types of Telescopes
 Infrared Telescopes
 Ultraviolet Telescopes
 X-ray Telescopes
 Liquid Mirror Telescope and etc
 Refractor Telescopes

Refractors are a type of telescope built with lenses that refract light and send it
along a focal path within the telescope tube. An eyepiece captures the light
at its focal point, creating the image you see within.
 Achromatic Telescopes
 Apochromatic Telescopes
 Superachromat Telescopes
 Galileoscopes
 Achromatic Telescopes

 A refractor telescope gathers light at every wavelength, but not all wavelengths
have the same focal length inside the telescope tube. This type of telescope creates
chromatic aberration, a sort of fuzziness around the outside of the object you’re
viewing as the light waves scatter toward the edges. An achromatic telescope uses
a special lens made by combining Flint glass and Crown glass to achieve different
light dispersion, correcting these aberrations.
 Apochromatic Telescopes

 Like an achromatic telescope, the apochromatic type of telescope uses a

special lens to correct chromatic aberration. The apochromatic lens differs in
that it disperses three wavelengths at a time instead of two. While
apochromats contain the same glass as the achromatic lens, they typically
also contain liquid between the lenses for added dispersion
 Superachromat Telescopes

 Like the apochromatic and achromatic lenses, a superachromat corrects

aberrations by bringing different colors into focus at the same time. The
superachromat is quartic, meaning it disperses four colors simultaneously.
These highly fine-tuned lenses are built with expensive fluorite glass to
achieve the best type of image correction.
 Galileoscope

 An inexpensive telescope produced for the 2009 International Year of Astronomy, a

Galileoscope is a refractor scope built to bring astronomy to the masses. It is versatile enough
to use with various eyepieces to enhance magnification, and economical enough for kids
and amateur enthusiasts. Its narrow field of view and 17x magnification are meant to parallel
the kind of telescope Galileo would have used, in effect harnessing the astronomy of the past
to bring new interest to the field. The best part is, they come in a kit so you can build them
yourself.
 Reflector Telescopes

 A reflector telescope is built with mirrors that elongate the focal path of the
light entering it. This style was invented by Sir Isaac Newton in the 1680s and
became popular due to its enhanced image clarity.
 Newtonian Reflector

 Isaac Newton’s original invention from 1668, and the basis for most reflector
telescopes developed since. Light enters through a parabolic or spherical
primary mirror, which bounces the light back up the telescope to a secondary
plane mirror, when then sends the light to the eyepiece at a 90-degree angle.
Because they are optically “fast,” they tend to be much shorter than a refractor.
The absence of lenses also solves the problem of chromatic aberration.
 Cassegrain Reflector Telescopes

 A Cassegrain reflector telescope uses a series of concave and convex

mirrors to fold the light path to enhance its focal length and improve
magnification. A hole in the center of the primary, parabolic mirror sends
light to the eyepiece.
 Catadioptric Telescopes

 The marriage of catoptric and dioptric (refractor and reflector) engineering is the
catadioptric telescope. This combination is the best of both worlds, providing mirrors
and lenses that better correct aberrations and provide a wider field of view. Their
method of folding the light path within the telescope tube means faster optics and
a shorter device
 Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescopes

 A catadioptric telescope that uses spherical mirrors and corrector plates to

prevent spherical aberration. Their focal path is long, but their field of view is
narrow, perfect for observing planets or for deep-sky viewing. Most
catadioptric telescopes are derivatives of the Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope,
or SCT
 Infrared Telescopes

 Infrared telescopes must be in a dry, high altitude environment to detect infrared space
radiation without interference. These telescopes are used to gather information about our
universe’s history. Because light travels for so long before it reaches Earth, it has had time to
become detectable infrared radiation. This radiation dates back to the beginning of the
universe, providing insights into the vast history of the cosmos.
 Ultraviolet Telescopes

 Ultraviolet telescopes can tell us a lot about

the physical components of distant planets
and stars. They pull UV light apart into a
spectrum so that brightness can be
measured at each wavelength. This reveals
the presence of elements, an object’s
density, and temperature. These telescopes
require precision lens coating and
smoothness to be effective, and because
Earth’s ozone filters out UV rays, they must be
mounted to satellites above the ozone layer
 Liquid Mirror Telescope

Instead of a glass mirror, a liquid mirror

telescope uses a rotating dish of highly
reflective liquid, usually mercury. The
rotation causes a parabola effect in the
liquid’s surface, which reflects light onto
a non-liquid mirror for viewing. This
method is used to create a telescope
both quickly and inexpensively
 Three-Mirror Anastigmat Telescopes

 This type of telescope contains three

parabolic mirrors that help correct
aberrations such as spherical,
astigmatism, and coma. Typically, the first
mirror will correct any spherical
aberrations on its own. But adding a
second and third mirror eliminate the
other two aberrations. Together, they
widen the field of view and provide a
clearer image.
 X-Ray Telescopes

 Extremely hot objects in the universe

radiate X-rays, so X-ray telescopes were
invented to observe the effects of huge
explosions, collapsed neutron stars, and
black holes. These telescopes tend to
be barrel-shaped in order to harness the
ricochet effect of X-rays when they
strike a mirror. To detect this unfiltered
radiation, X-ray telescopes must also be
mounted on satellites.
 Lensless Schmidt Telescopes

A lensless Schmidt telescope is a

unique type of telescope that uses
a spherical primary mirror and a
corrector plate to achieve a wide
field of view without the use of a
lens. This design eliminates certain
optical aberrations, resulting in a
sharper image over a larger area
of the sky compared to traditional
telescopes.