{"id":18481,"date":"2015-11-06T15:35:17","date_gmt":"2015-11-06T10:05:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yaabot.com\/?p=18481"},"modified":"2024-02-16T14:15:48","modified_gmt":"2024-02-16T08:45:48","slug":"telescopes-the-future-of-our-eyes-in-the-sky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entropymag.co\/telescopes-the-future-of-our-eyes-in-the-sky\/","title":{"rendered":"Telescopes: The Future of Our Eyes in the Sky"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What lies beyond earth? This question has beguiled us for ages. An interest in the cosmos started developing with the birth of philosophy itself, but there wasn’t much early man could do about it. The curiosity for the space could only be quenched by astute observation and fertile imagination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the beginning of the 17th<\/sup> century AD, stargazers and great thinkers simultaneously came up with an idea to delve further into the mysteries of space. It was deduced that since it didn\u2019t seem possible to reach out, at least not at the moment, we had to work on viewing techniques instead. And rudimentary telescopes were born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Varying combinations of concave and convex lenses, as objectives and eyepieces, or even vice-versa, were used. Hans Lippershey was one of the first to patent one such device. A year later, one man began using a similar device and made it famous. Galileo, the Italian astronomer and physicist has gone on to become synonymous with astronomy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Galileo\u2019s telescopic observations were groundbreaking. They revolutionized the study of our universe. Celestial mechanics was an erroneous but popular theory since the age of Ptolemy. Galileo\u2019s work helped dispel it. His solar and lunar observations, discoveries of Jupiter’s moon, were some of his many radical works. Galileo’s observations proved the authenticity of Copernican views – suddenly, for us, the universe was not geocentric as the Church continually proclaimed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the next 3 centuries or so, the telescopes underwent several makeovers. Refractory lenses, achromatic mirrors, paraboloidal reflectors all played a significant role in the remodeling of telescopes. With the opportune discovery of extra-terrestrial radiation by Karl Guthe Jansky, radio telescopes were soon to follow.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"History<\/a>
Grote Reber constructs first radio telescope in Wheaton, IL; completed in September 1937 – Source<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Today, the humble telescope has been replaced by mammoth successors that dot the Earth as well as space. In fact, one of the most famous telescopes, is the Hubble telescope. It orbits our planet, bringing us stunning images, and path breaking insights on the universe. One of its iconic pictures is that of Pillars of Creation, a collection of interstellar dust, a picture showing the birth of new stars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also Read:<\/strong> A Guide To Choosing The Best Telescope For Beginners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Iconic<\/a>
The NASA\/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has revisited one of its most iconic and popular images: the Eagle Nebula\u2019s Pillars of Creation. This image shows the pillars as seen in visible light, The dust and gas in the pillars is seared by the intense radiation from young stars and eroded by strong winds from massive nearby stars. – source<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The creation of Hubble Space telescope significantly boosted astronomical research. Right from the time of Galileo, stargazers continued fine-tuning the design of telescopes. But there was one handicap that couldn\u2019t be overcome. Earths\u2019 atmosphere distorts starlight (also giving the stars their twinkling effect).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think of the atmosphere as a vast ocean of air. Just as visual clarity takes a hit when viewing objects through water, the same phenomenon plays out in the atmosphere. This impacts our visuals and the subsequent deductions we can make. The only way out of this conundrum is to have an observatory outside Earth. After decades of hard work, and billions of dollars, we managed to get around this problem with Hubble. Collaborations occurred for all aspects \u2013 design, engineering, construction, execution. And finally in 1990, the Hubble was launched. As it took its position 600 kilometers above the planet, astronomy took a giant leap.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Telescopes<\/a>
Hubble has been in low-Earth orbit since 1990, approximately 326 miles (525 km) above the surface – Source<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

It has been 25 years since the Hubble telescope was launched, and it has given us pioneering data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the constant hunger to possess more knowledge is pushing us for better tools. Larger mirrors for finer details, tools for higher resolution, reduced cost and modified technology for adaptive optics that will compensate for Earth\u2019s atmospheric effects in case of Ground based telescopes, swinging for larger view are some details being considered in the larger telescopes being built today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are several unanswered questions that beg one to perfect the technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The driving forces are the queries regarding the process of star and planetary formation, the origin of galaxies and their evolution, the quest for exoplanets, lookouts for Earth like or habitable planets near the Solar System and even, the snooping search for Extra-terrestrial life, if any.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no doubt that technological advancements have accelerated at an unprecedented rate and there is wild hope that we may have all these answers in the coming centuries, if not decades. Economic crunches and technical setbacks, though frequent, are unlikely to prevent us from searching deeper within the universe. In the present situation, we have the hope to develop at least many innovative space-eyes in the coming decades. Here is a list of the best telescopes in popular opinion. Or at least, the most promising and interesting ones:<\/p>\n\n\n\n