CP 6 Telescopes: Portals of Discovery

Question 1

how do we focus light

Answer 1

Refraction can cause parallel light rays to
converge to a focus

Question 2

what is the focal plane

Answer 2

is where light from different
directions comes into focus

Question 3

What are the two most important properties of a telescope?

Answer 3

light collecting area
Angular resolution

Question 4

what is light collecting area

Answer 4

tells us how much total light it can collect at one time

Question 5

What is angular resolution

Answer 5

the minimum angular separation
that the telescope can distinguish

Question 6

What are the two basic designs of telescopes?

Answer 6

Refracting telescope
Reflecting telescope

Question 7

what is a refracting telescope

Answer 7

focuses light with lenses

Question 8

what is a reflecting telescope

Answer 8

focuses light with mirrors

Question 9

what do astronomers do w telescopes

Answer 9

imaging
spectroscopy
timing

Question 10

what is imaging

Answer 10

taking pictures of astronomical objects

Question 11

what is spectroscopy

Answer 11

breaking light into spectra

Question 12

what is timing

Answer 12

measuring how light output varies with time

Question 13

what is the best atmosphere for ground based sites for astronomical observations

Answer 13

calm
high
dark
dry(not cloudy)

Question 14

why do we put telescopes in space

Answer 14

We need telescopes in space to observe
other forms that we cant see on the ground

Question 15

what is a radio telescope

Answer 15

like a giant mirror that reflects
radio waves to a focus

Question 16

TF xray telescopes dont need to be above the atmosphere

Answer 16

F they do