Telescope
- Lenses and mirrors allow us to make telescopes
- Bigger is better
- Bigger --> more light you can collect, better resolution
- Bad for glass refractors
- Hard to make
- Weight causes sagging
- Air bubbles distort
- Opaque at some wavelengths
- Largest visible-light telescopes today have 8 to 10 meter mirrors
Types
- Refracting telescopes
- Reflecting telescopes
- Radio telescopes
- Infrared telescopes
- Ultraviolet telescopes
- X-ray telescopes
- Gamma ray telescopes
Location of Telescopes
- On ground
- Stable, controlled
- Bigger dishes
- Atmospheric blurring
- In space
- No atmosphere to cause blurring
- Expensive
- Difficult to maintain