Light and Telescopes

Question 1

What is the history of the physics of light?

Answer 1

Isaac Newton challenged the belief that white was the fundamental color of light; Christian Huygens proposed light travels in waves; Albert Einstein introduced the wave-particle duality concept.

Question 2

Describe some of the physics of Light.

Answer 2

Refraction changes light’s direction; spectrum includes red, orange, yellow, green, violet; Ole Romer discovered finite light speed; speed of light is approximately 299,792.458 km/s.

Question 3

Describe reflection vs. refraction telescopes.

Answer 3

Reflecting telescopes use concave mirrors; Refracting telescopes use convex lenses; Reflecting telescopes have issues like spherical aberration.

Question 4

What are the properties of telescopes.

Answer 4

Light-gathering power proportional to mirror area; Angular resolution depends on telescope diameter; Magnification enlarges images but doesn’t improve resolution.

Question 5

What are some examples of light detectors? Why do we need different ones for astronomy?

Answer 5

Human eye inefficient for astronomy; Photographic plates used for longer exposure; CCDs gather light efficiently, provide detailed images, and are easy to store and edit.

Question 6

Describe the differences of ground-based vs. space-based telescopes.

Answer 6

Ground-based telescopes cheaper but limited by atmosphere and light pollution; Space-based telescopes like Hubble and James Webb offer clearer images.