A Layperson's View of Future Technology and Society
Telescopes
The name "telescope" covers a wide range of instruments and is difficult to define. They all have the attribute of collecting electromagnetic radiation so it can be studied or analyzed in some manner.
Types of telescopes
Optical telescopes
Radio telescopes
X-ray and gamma-ray telescopes
Image: Composite image of spiral galaxy M106 (NGC 4258), optical data from the Digitized Sky Survey is shown as yellow, radio data from the Very Large Array appears as purple, X-ray data from Chandra is coded blue, and infrared data from the Spitzer Space Telescope appears red. Two anomalous arms, which aren't visible at optical wavelengths, appear as purple and blue emission. Image credit: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Maryland/A.S. Wilson et al.; Optical: Pal.Obs. DSS; IR: NASA/JPL-Caltech; VLA: NRAO/AUI/NSF
NASA's Great Observatories
The Chandra X-ray Observatory
Credit:
NASA
To grasp the wonders of the cosmos, and understand its infinite variety and splendor, we must collect and analyze radiation emitted by phenomena throughout the entire electromagnetic (EM) spectrum. Towards that end, NASA proposed the concept of Great Observatories, a series of four space-borne observatories designed to conduct astronomical studies over many different wavelengths (visible, gamma rays, X-rays, and infrared). An important aspect of the Great Observatory program was to overlap the operations phases of the missions to enable astronomers to make contemporaneous observations of an object at different spectral wavelengths.
For more information about NASA's Great Observatories, visit these sites:
Hubble
Space Telescope
Radio Telescopes
Image courtesy of
NRAO/AUI and ESO
The Atacama Large Millimeter Array, or ALMA, is an international collaboration to develop a world-class telescope composed of a group of 64 radio-telescope antennas that will work together to study the universe from a site in the foothills of Chile's Andes Mountains. Each of ALMA's 64 antenna dishes will measure 39 feet (12 m) wide. The ALMA antennas will be movable. At its largest, the array will measure 10 miles wide (14 km), and at its smallest, only 500 feet (150 m). The ALMA correlator, or specialized computer that combines the information received by the antennas, will perform an astounding 16,000 million-million (1.6x1016) operations per second. ALMA's location in the Atacama Desert is one of the highest, driest places on Earth, making it ideal for astronomical research at millimeter wavelengths, which are absorbed by atmospheric moisture. When completed (in 2011), ALMA will be the largest and most capable imaging array of telescopes in the world.
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
A Fresh Look at the Cat's Eye Nebula
Composite data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope provides a fresh view of NGC 6543 -- better known as the Cat's Eye nebula. Surrounded by a cloud of multi-million-degree gas, the nebula's central star sheds material at speeds of up to 4 million mph to form its distinctive halo. The Cat's Eye represents a phase of stellar evolution that our sun may experience several billion years from now.
The Chandra X-ray Observatory is the world's most powerful X-ray telescope. It has eight-times greater resolution and is able to detect sources more than 20-times fainter than any previous X-ray telescope.
Source: Chandra - Exploring the Invisible Universe
Chandra and Hubble composite image of the Cat's Eye nebula. Image Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/STScI
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Telescope Articles, Blogs and Web Sites
All Links open in a new window. Bold = Recommended. Links do not imply endorsement.
| Title | Source | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Coming soon: First pictures of a black hole | NewScientist | 05/09 |
| Technology improvements make stargazing easier and astronomy more accessible | Forbes | 04/09 |
| Telescopes poised to spot air-breathing aliens | NewScientist | 04/09 |
| Title | Description |
|---|---|
| Telescopes | Wikipedia |
| WorldWide Telescope | Microsoft |
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