Aurene Mae D.

Acob January 6, 2011

Instruments
for
Space Exploration

The Reflector Telescope

Developed in the early 17th century by Niccola Zucchi and perfected later by Sir Isaac Newton, the reflector telescope
is still in wide use today as the principal tool for studying stars. This telescope operates by bouncing light through a number of
mirrors in a process called "folding the optical path." The result is a short, fat telescope, which has better magnification ability
than long barrel refractory telescopes. Reflector telescopes range in price from $250 to $5,000 and more, in 2010. What you
can expect to see with a reflector telescope depends on the aperture size. A 4.5 inch aperture will show excellent views of the
moon, other planets and even faint galaxies and clusters.

The Star Chart

Humans once used star charts to navigate while traversing the oceans. These star charts included all the directly
observable formations in the night sky including constellations, clusters and the cardinal stars (e.g., the North Star.) Using these
charts, sailors could tell where they were in relation to their home country. Today scientists using telescopes and other
instruments are able to create detailed star charts, including stars invisible to the naked eye. These charts are used not to
navigate the oceans, but to navigate the stars themselves with telescopes. The detailed charts provide a record of galaxies and
other astronomical objects and provide more accurate dates for celestial sightings and events. Star charts can often be
downloaded free from universities with astrophysics departments.

Radio Telescopes
While reflector telescopes use light to show details in the night's sky, radio telescopes use radio waves. These waves
often provide greater detail and use computer telemetry to process very detailed images. One clear advantage of using radio
instead of light is that radio captures an image that covers more than the entire light spectrum. This allows computers to filter
out harsh light, which can obscure the details of a star's inner workings. The result is not just a clear picture of a star's surface,
but thermal images of a star's core and even profile images of a star as it burns. Telescopes like this are responsible for
discovering sunspots and seeing other phenomena such as black holes and supernovas that are not visible by some other star-
studying devices.

The Fermi Space Telescope

Our Universe is a dynamic and violent place. And in order to realize what all it has to offer we must study it at all
wavelengths. The Fermi gamma-ray telescope (formerly known as GLAST) was developed to probe some of the most extreme
regions of outer space, and hopefully bring us closer to understanding the secrets of the Universe.

Examining the Gamma-ray Sky with VERITAS

VERITAS (The Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System) is an array of four gamma-ray telescopes
located in southern Arizona. The purpose of the observatory is to study the Universe in search of gamma-ray sources.
Ultimately, the data gathered will help scientists to better understand the Universe and the objects contained in it.

Hubble Space Telescope

The Hubble Space Telescope was the world's first space-based optical telescope. It received its name from American
astronomer Edwin Hubble (1889–1953). Dr. Hubble confirmed an "expanding" universe, which provided the foundation for the
Big Bang theory.
Aurene Mae D. Acob January 6, 2011