Space Telescopes That Change Our View Of The Universe

Brief about Space telescopes

In 1946, astronomer Lyman Spitzer proposed the idea of a Space Telescope to overcome the limitations of a ground-based observatory.
The first space Telescope was launched in April 1962, and the United Kingdom sent the first Space Telescope into space. It was Ariel 1.
At the end of the day, when we see only the dark sky and number of stars, it blows our minds. Thanks to all those astronomers who try to think about the universe. When we don’t have a telescope, we can see the world through math equations.

Name one of the telescopes and a recent achievement

Did you know that:

• James Webb Space Telescope is the most expensive Telescope.
• Over 10,000 active satellites are moving around Earth.

How big is the universe that we require some giant Space telescopes

We discovered the entire observable universe is about 46 billion light years away from Earth and approximately 93 billion light years in diameter. Our galaxy is about 100,000 light years and our solar system approx 3 light-years away.

Light itself can’t reach the edge of the universe, and we humans never can. Space has always been was curiosity for us. Back in the day, we looked at the sky, and we saw a white dot, but telescopes changed the view of the universe.

The evolution of telescopes: from Galileo to the James Webb Space Telescope.

The evolution of telescopes has been a fascinating journey over four or five centuries Galileo’s refracting Telescope to the revolutionary James Webb Space Telescope.
This progression has been driven by humanity’s quest to explore the universe with greater clarity and depth.
Thanks to the modern space Telescope, it has transformed our understanding of the universe.

Galileo and the birth of Space telescopes

• The Telescope as an astronomical tool began with Galileo Galilei in 1609.
• He improved on an early design by Dutch opticians, creating a refracting Telescope that could magnify objects up to 30 times.

The rise of reflecting Space telescopes

• Isaac Newton solved the problem of chromatic aberration in refracting Telescopes by inventing the reflecting telescope.
• Instead of lenses, Newton used a curved mirror to gather and focus light.

18th & 19th century: Larger and more powerful Space telescopes

• Astronomers like William Herschel and Lord Rosse built increasingly larger reflecting telescopes.
• Herschel’s 40-foot telescope (1789) was one of the largest of its time, leading to the discovery of Uranus.
• Lord Rosse’s “Leviathan of Parsonstown” (1845) was a massive 72-inch reflector that revealed the spiral structure of galaxies.

20th century: the era of modern observatories

• Telescopes grew in size and Technological sophistication, moving to mountaintop locations for clearer skies.
  • Hale Telescope (1948): A 200-inch (5-meter) Telescope at Palomar Observatory, setting a new standard.
  • Radio Telescopes (1930s onwards): Allowed astronomers to study the universe using radio waves, leading to discoveries like pulsars and cosmic background radiation.

Hubble Space Telescope – a new fortune

• The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) revolutionized astronomy by escaping Earth’s atmosphere, eliminating distortion caused by air turbulence.
  • Provided ultra-clear images of distant Galaxies, Nebulae, and Planets.
  • Confirmed the expansion of the universe with unprecedented precision.
  • Captured the Deep Field images, revealing thousands of Galaxies in a tiny patch of sky.

James Webb Space Telescope – the next leap

• The JWST represents the pinnacle of Space Telescope evolution, focusing on infrared observations.
  • A 6.5-meter segmented mirror, collecting far more light than Hubble.
  • Operates at freezing temperatures to detect faint infrared signals from the early universe.

Why is it essential for us to look towards space?

Space exploration is more than scientific discovery; it is human curiosity. It is our core desire to look at space and it reminds us of the fragility of our home. The pale blue dot, as Carl Sagan described Earth, is a single oasis in the ocean of darkness.

Sometimes it is madness or the ability to ask questions about the vast universe, and it forces us to ask profound questions– Are we alone? What is beyond the universe? How is a life form? And sometimes we also think is this universe was created by god or it’s a natural process? By finding those answers, we gain a deeper understanding of ourselves.

What is the wavelength and spectrum of Space Telescopes?

Wavelength is the distance between two consecutive peaks in a wave. It is usually shown by the Greek letter λ (lambda).

• Longer wavelengths correspond to lower frequency and lower energy (Radio waves).
• Shorter wavelengths correspond to higher frequency and higher energy (Gamma rays).

Space Telescopes are designed to observe different wavelengths, which fall into the following categories:

• Radio Telescopes (1 mm – 100 km) → Detect radio waves (e.g., ALMA, FAST)
• Microwave Telescopes (1 mm – 30 cm) → Used for cosmic microwave background studies (e.g., Planck Telescope)
• Infrared Telescopes (700 nm – 1 mm) → Observe cool objects like dust clouds (e.g., James Webb Space Telescope)
• Optical Telescopes (380 nm – 750 nm) → See visible light (e.g., Hubble Space Telescope)
• Ultraviolet Telescopes (10 nm – 400 nm) → Detect young stars and hot gas (e.g., GALEX)
• X-ray Telescopes (0.01 nm – 10 nm) → Study black holes and neutron stars (e.g., Chandra X-ray Observatory)
• Gamma-ray Telescopes (< 0.01 nm) → Observe high-energy cosmic events (e.g., Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope)

A spectrum refers to the distribution of electromagnetic radiation (or light) according to its wavelength or frequency. It shows how energy is spread across different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum.

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