Optical Telescopes
There are two optical telescopes which we can use on Earth to look into space or from space to look down on earth or other planetary objects. The two optical telescopes are refracting and reflecting.
A refracting telescope works just like a magnifying glass. It uses a convex glass lens to bend light and bring it into focus. This lens is thicker in the centre than it is toward its edges, which bends the light more at the edge of the lens than the light coming through the centre. This allows all the light to come together at a focus point. The point of focus is where the image is created. Two main problems with refracting telescopes are that images are not always clear because the light is being bent and the size of the lens is limited.
Reflecting telescopes use curved mirrors instead of convex lenses to collect and focus light. A large concave mirror collects and reflects the light to make an image. Once the image forms, the lens in the eyepiece magnifies the image. Reflecting telescopes are very helpful for viewing dim or dark objects. Large reflecting telescopes can see objects that are a millionth or a billionth the brightness of the faintest star that can’t be seen by the naked eye.
There are many pros and cons towards optical telescopes. Some of the pros are: easy to build; can be very large, a lot of people can own one and can be controlled over the internet. Some cons are: when the weather is bad you can’t do research, are heavy to lift into space and is difficult to hook even two optical telescopes together.
Radio Telescopes
Radio telescopes detect noise from radio wavelengths. They are used to study naturally occurring radio emission from stars, galaxies and other objects between wavelengths of about 10 meters and 1 millimetre. These telescopes are able to listen to all these noises and process it into information for researchers to study. A radio telescope can produce a picture from an object it is listening to from the noise it picks up from that object.
Light
Electromagnetic Spectrum
The electromagnetic spectrum is a sequence of all electromagnetic waves arranged according to frequency and wavelength. The Sun, Earth and other bodies give off electromagnetic energy of separate wavelengths. Electromagnetic spectrum is a variety of rays starting from:
1. Gamma Rays with a wavelength of 10 -12 millimetres
2. X-rays have a wavelength of 10-10 metres per second
3. Ultraviolet Rays have a wavelength of 10-8 metres per second
4. Visible Light Waves have a wavelength of 10-6
5. Infrared Waves have a wavelength of 10-4
6. Microwaves have a wavelength of 10-2
7. Radio Wave have a wavelength of 102
These are all energy waves. Electromagnetic waves are produced by the vibration of the charged particles and have electrical and magnetic properties. They pass through space at the speed of light in form of sinusoidal waves. The wavelength is the distance from crest to crest.
1. Gamma Rays with a wavelength of 10 -12 millimetres
2. X-rays have a wavelength of 10-10 metres per second
3. Ultraviolet Rays have a wavelength of 10-8 metres per second
4. Visible Light Waves have a wavelength of 10-6
5. Infrared Waves have a wavelength of 10-4
6. Microwaves have a wavelength of 10-2
7. Radio Wave have a wavelength of 102
These are all energy waves. Electromagnetic waves are produced by the vibration of the charged particles and have electrical and magnetic properties. They pass through space at the speed of light in form of sinusoidal waves. The wavelength is the distance from crest to crest.
Visible Light
Visible light is one way energy uses to get around. Lights waves are the result of vibrations of electric and magnetic fields, and are a form of electromagnetic radiation. It can be seen by the human eye and has wavelengths measured to be from 780 nanometres to 390 nanometers. Each wavelength has a particular colour and that specific wavelength hits one’s eye, it identifies the colour of wavelength. These colours are red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet. E.g. what makes a green leaf green is because of the specific wavelength of the visible light coming from the leaf.
Interesting fact: The source of the visible light is the sun. When you see white light, you do not see one specific colour but actually a combination of the different colours mixed together.
Interesting fact: The source of the visible light is the sun. When you see white light, you do not see one specific colour but actually a combination of the different colours mixed together.
Light
Light is a form of energy made of electromagnetic waves. Light moves in waves and travels at a very fast speed. Some waves you can see, and some you can’t, the light that we see is visible light.
Reflection of light is defined as the bouncing back of a ray of light into the same medium, when it strikes a surface. The incident ray is defined as a ray approaching a surface; the point of incidence is where the incident ray strikes the surface. The reflected ray is the section of the incident ray that leaves the surface at the point of incidence.
Reflection of light is defined as the bouncing back of a ray of light into the same medium, when it strikes a surface. The incident ray is defined as a ray approaching a surface; the point of incidence is where the incident ray strikes the surface. The reflected ray is the section of the incident ray that leaves the surface at the point of incidence.