Category Archives: Instruments

includes telescopes and space probes

The Largest Telescope in the World

Posted on February 16, 2014 by Chad F

Larger telescopes allow for better angular resolution, which allows for us to discern between two light producing objects that are close together.  Therefore, telescopes are ever increasing in size to get better and better images.  Beating out telescopes called “Very Large Telescope” and “South African Large Telescope”, the Arecibo Radio Telescope in Puerto Rico is […] Continue reading →

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The Invention of the Telescope

Posted on February 16, 2014 by katiew

The telescope was most likely invented in 1608 by a German eyeglass maker named Hans Lippershey, although there is some uncertainty. Another eyeglass maker from the Netherlands, named Jacob Metius, filed for a patent soon after Lippershey and a third man, named Sacharias Janssen, later claimed to be the creator.  Despite these claims, Lippershey is […] Continue reading →

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Hubble Space Telescope

Posted on February 16, 2014 by ilman

The Hubble Space Telescope was launched in 1990 and is still in service today. Just as Galileo’s first telescope opened the door to a new world beyond what the naked eyes can see, the Hubble Space Telescope broke through heaven’s gates and showed us a world beyond the boundaries of space-time, capturing even images of […] Continue reading →

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World’s Largest Telescope To Expand Our Horizons

Posted on February 13, 2014 by joshkphilips

Image and Information Source Currently, the largest telescope in the world is the Gran Telescopio Canarias, which has an aperture size of about 10.4 meters. However, plans to build an even larger telescope were recently approved. This new telescope will be built at the summit of Hawaii’s Mauna Kea volcano, and will cost an alarming […] Continue reading →

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Size and Expansion of the Universe

Posted on January 26, 2014 by katiew

I have always thought that the universe is almost unfathomably huge, but until recently I had not spent much time contemplating how humans have determined this. While reading about the topic, I came across information about the Hubble Space Telescope. Not being familiar with astronomy, I did not know much about it or its purpose. […] Continue reading →

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Voyager 1

Posted on April 28, 2013 by juliettealper

Voyager 1 launched in 1977 in order to collect data and research the outer planets of our solar system. Currently, 11.5 billion miles from Earth, scientists are having some difficulty determining when exactly the Voyager is going to leave the solar system. It has completed its mission of surveying the outer planets, such as Saturn, […] Continue reading →

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Benfits of Astronomy on Earth

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Will K

            Astronomical research does not just benefit the limited field of astronomy; rather it serves to improve many other fields of study. From the first missions into orbit to current research of interstellar travel, astronomy has benefited our standard of living here on Earth. Many people have heard that memory foam was invented by […] Continue reading →

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The Constant Search For Life

Posted on April 25, 2013 by indianwm

In this past week, three new planets have been discovered in Kepler’s habitable zone. These three planets are announced to potentially host life. This may or may not be true, but the thought of finding planets slightly larger than earth that are in the Goldilocks zone is exciting in itself. For me, this is what […] Continue reading →

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UK Astrobiolgy Centre Searching For Life In Space

Posted on April 25, 2013 by indianwm

The UK atrobiology centre is seeking life outside of earth. The astrobiology field is still developing because we have not found any life forms of any kind outside of earth. But the UK centre is determined to succeed. They believe that Mars has a high probability of containing life. However, the surface of mars is […] Continue reading →

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TESS: a New Eye in the Sky

Posted on April 10, 2013 by zvgio

NASA has a new project set to launch in 2017 and it’s going to be big. The TESS project will be tasked with the most trendy task in astronomy these days: finding exoplanets. Using a slew of wide-view cameras, TESS will peer tirelessly at the stars looking for “transits,” or dips in brightness when an […] Continue reading →

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