Unit E Space Exploration: Section 3.0 Flashcards
What are optical telescopes?
Things that gather and focus light from distant objects
What are refracting telescopes?
Refracting telescopes use two lenses to gather and focus starlight. One lens at the end and one on the opposite end the eyepiece.
What are reflecting telescopes?
They use mirrors instead of lenses to gather and focus the light from stars. At one end of a reflecting telescope is a large concave mirror, which is made from a glass-like material that is coated with a thin layer of metal. The metal, such as aluminum, is polished to a shiny finish so that it can reflect the faintest light it receives.
What happens in a refracting telescope when the mirror is bigger than 1 meter?
It will collapse on itself
How do technicians prevent mirrors from warping over themselves?
They make segmented mirrors that are made separately and put into pieces
What is interferometry?
When scientists use more than one telescope to create a more detailed image.
What is the problem with having telescopes on land?
astronomers are still at the mercy of the weather, Clouds, humidity, and even high winds can interfere
What is the Hubble Space Telescope?
A reflecting telescope up in space that can be used to take good quality photos
What is electromagnetic energy?
Forms of radiated energy.
They travel at the speed of light (300 000 km/s), although they have different wavelengths and frequencies than light.
What is wavelength?
A measurement of the distance from one point on a wave (such as the crest) to the same point on the next wave
What is frequency?
Frequency is the number of waves that pass a single point in one second.
As the frequency goes up what does the wavelength do?
Goes down
What are the most common types of electromagnetic energy in order are there?
- TV/Radio
- Microwave
- Thermal Infrared
- Visible
- Ultraviolet
- X-ray
- Gamma rays
What are the visible electromagnetic energys?
- TV/Radio
- Microwave
- Thermal Infrared
What are the advantages of radio telescopes?
Radio waves are not affected by weather and can be detected during the day and at night. They are also not distorted by clouds, pollution, or the atmosphere.