| Telescopes have a way of bringing things closer to us that we normally wouldn’t be able to see or reach clearly. With the help of telescopes, we are able to clearly see celestial bodies that are not visible to the naked eye. We can also get closer to evasive creatures that we might never be able to normally see up close in their native habitats. Scopes significantly increase our sense of sight, and enable us to magnify images so that we can appreciate them better and study them much more clearly. Though most of us are familiar with and have used such things as binoculars, telescopes, and microscopes throughout our lives, many of us have not had the privilege of experiencing the spectacular images that can be seen through some of the largest scopes in the world. These scopes are used to view images that most of us only dream of seeing.
The Twin Keck telescopes, located on the summit of Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii, are the largest infrared and optical telescopes in the world. Each of these telescopes stands an unbelievable 8 stories high and weighs close to 60,000 pounds. Despite their extremely large size, however, the precision of these telescopes is unprecedented. The Twin Keck telescopes are used, of course, for studying and tracking objects in the sky. Using telescopes to aid in astronomy research has always posed problems in the past, due to atmospheric disturbances and the fact that the earth and all other celestial bodies are always moving. The Twin Keck telescopes use state-of-the-art primary mirrors that measure 10 meters in diameter and are composed of 36 segments. The mirrors constantly undergo precise computer controlled corrections to keep them working at maximum efficiency. By virtue of their optimum location, which ensures that they are affected by the least amount of atmospheric disturbances possible, as well as their state-of-the-art engineering, the Twin Keck telescopes have been able to provide astronomers with valuable information about the universe around us.
The SALT telescope, or the Southern African Large Telescope, is the largest telescope in Africa, and also holds the title as the largest optical telescope in the entire southern hemisphere. Officially unveiled in November of 2005, SALT allows astronomers from several different countries to study stars very closely, as well as to further study atmospheric origins. The SALT telescope has a 1O meter in diameter primary segmented mirror, which, like the mirrors on the Twin Keck telescopes, will be kept running at optimum efficiency using state-of-the-art computer technology. Using the Internet, researchers from places that are far away from the SALT telescope will be able to request and receive data remotely.
The Hobby-Eberly Telescope, more commonly known as HET, is located in Mt. Fowlkes, Texas. This impressive telescope has a primary mirror that weighs about 250 pounds and has 91 hexagonal segments. HET was built for a fraction of the cost that most telescopes of this caliber are built for, yet it works with optimum precision. Unlike other large scopes, the primary mirror is not automatically rotated to stay on track with stars or planets, but is rotated according to schedules set by the Resident Astronomer. HET is located in the McDonald Observatory in the Davis Mountains of Texas. It began operations in 1999, and has proven to be a valuable tool for those in the field of astronomy.
Without telescopes our view of the world and the universe around it would be much more limited. Though few of us can work with large telescopes like the ones mentioned, we can buy ones for our own use, and begin to broaden our horizons from our own backyards.
|
HOW TELECOPES WORK
