Topic 4 - Bigger and Smarter Telescopes

Science 9 Name:
Unit 5: Space
Topic 4 - Bigger and Smarter Telescopes
New Discoveries
Bigger telescopes enable astronomers to discover new bodies in space. Sir William Herschel built a huge reflecting telescope and discovered the planet Uranus with it in 1773. The largest refracting telescope was built at the Yerkes Observatory near the end of the nineteenth century. With it, Gerald Kuiper discovered methane gas on Saturns moon, Titan, and two new moons of Uranus.
Combining Telescopes ( Interferometry )
The technique of using a number of telescopes in combination is called interferometry. When working together, these telescopes can detect objects in space with better clarity and at greater distances than any current Earth-based observatory. The Hubble Space Telescope ( HST ) The HST makes one complete orbit of the Earth every 95 minutes. To improve the views of space, astronomers are able to access images from a telescope in space. Free from the interferences of weather, clouds humidity and even high winds, the Hubble Space Telescope, Launched in 1990 Orbits 600 kms above the Earth It is a cylindrical reflecting telescope, 13 m long and 4.3 m in diameter. It is modular (parts can be removed and replaced) and is serviced by shuttle astronauts.
Adaptive Optics
The NTT (New Technology Telescope) is called adaptive optics because computers control the image, always adapting the mirror to changes in the Earths atmosphere. Astronomers attach adaptive optic technology to older telescopes as well. The computers remove the blurred effect of the atmosphere.
Distance to the Stars

A galaxy is a grouping of millions or billions of stars, gas and dust. It is held together by gravity. The Milky Way Galaxy is the galaxy our solar system is a part of. It is a spiral galaxy, shaped like a flattened pinwheel, with arms spiraling out from the center. Black holes are actually invisible to telescopes. Their existence is only known by an indirect method when celestial material comes close to a hole it becomes very hot and very bright
black
Birth of Stars
Stars form in regions of space where there are huge accumulations of gas and dust called nebulae. Interstellar matter, which makes up part of the nebulae, originated from exploding stars. The gas and dust begins to spin creating friction. When it gets hot enough, it lights up.
Telescopes enable astronomers to see further into space and identify distant stars. The problem they still have is how far are they from the Earth? The answer to this question lies in two methods. Triangulation and Parallax are two ways to measure distances indirectly, on the ground, or in space.
Triangulation
Triangulation is based on the geometry of a triangle. By measuring the angles between the baseline and a target object, you can determine the distance to that object. To measure the distance indirectly, you need to know the length of one side of the triangle (baseline) and the size of the angles created when imaginary lines are drawn from the ends of the baseline to the object.
Parallax
Parallax is the apparent shift in position of a nearby object when the object is viewed from two different places. Astronomers use a stars parallax to determine what angles to use when they triangulate the stars distance from the Earth. The larger the baseline, the more accurate the result. The longest baseline that astronomers can use is the diameter of Earths orbit. Measurements have to be taken six months apart to achieve the diameter of the orbit.
Topic 4 Assignment Vocabulary: (Define each) Adaptive Optics is the technology that adjusts the mirror of a telescope, or adjusts the image of a telescope, to cancel the effects of the constant changes in Earths atmosphere.
Triangulation a method of measuring distance indirectly between an observer and an object whose distance is to be estimated. Parallax - the angle between two imaginary lines from two different observation points meeting at an astronomical object, used to measure the object's distance from Earth. Astronomical Unit (AU) is the distance from the Earth to the Sun (150 million km). Light-Year the distance that light travels in one year (approximately 63 240 km or about 9.5 trillion km). Assignment: Complete the Topic 4 Review questions. #1-5 p. 392 Triangulation Worksheet
A group of students went to a park to practice their triangulation skills. They picked an object far away, set up a baseline, and measured the angle to their object at each end of the baseline, (see diagram). Their results are shown here. Group A B C Baseline length (m) 46 20 89 angle X 75 81 55 angle Y 78 77 71
1.
For each of the groups, use a scale diagram to find the distance to the far object.
X
Later the students measured the actual distances to the objects. Their results are recorded here. Group A B C 2. measured distance (m) 96 51 85
Compare your results with the measured results shown. How close were you? If possible, express this as a percent error.
3.
Which group might be expected to get the closest result to the actual measured distance? Which group might be expected to get the least close result? Explain your reasoning.
4. Suppose that you were going to do this experiment. You pick a tree about 200 m away and set up a baseline 40 m long directly opposite the tree. What angles should you expect to be measuring?

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Science 9 Name:

Topic 4 - Bigger and Smarter Telescopes

Combining Telescopes ( Interferometry )

Distance to the Stars

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