Table of Contents
Why is the Hubble telescope positioned?
Earth’s atmosphere alters and blocks the light that comes from space. Hubble orbits above Earth’s atmosphere, which gives it a better view of the universe than telescopes have at ground level.
Why was it so fitting that Hubble’s name was put on the space telescope?
In 1983, the telescope was named after Edwin Hubble, who confirmed one of the greatest scientific discoveries of the 20th century, made by Georges Lemaître, that the universe is expanding.
What was wrong with the Hubble telescope to be out of focus?
Shortly after the Hubble Space Telescope’s launch in 1990, operators discovered that the observatory’s primary mirror had an aberration that affected the clarity of the telescope’s early images. The result was a mirror with an aberration one-50th the thickness of a human hair, in the grinding of the mirror.
What is the current location of the Hubble Space Telescope?
Launched on April 24, 1990, aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery, Hubble is currently located about 340 miles (547 km) above Earth’s surface, where it completes 15 orbits per day — approximately one every 95 minutes.
How does the Hubble telescope move?
The Magnetic Sensing System acts as Hubble’s compass, measuring the telescope’s orientation in relation to Earth’s magnetic field. When Hubble rotates, its gyroscopes measure the direction the telescope is turning and the rate of that rotation. Hubble has some of the most accurate and stable gyroscopes ever built.
Is the Hubble telescope broken?
NASA’s Hubble telescope — one of the most critical tools for space exploration — is broken again. Since its launch in April 1990, Hubble has been an invaluable asset for scientists and astronomers all over the world.
Why is this telescope orbiting in space?
Telescopes are placed into orbit around the Earth or are sent farther out into space to get a clearer view of the Universe. There are many different types of space telescopes. Some are used to study a special object like the Sun. Others are used to study the different types of light given off by objects in space.
How does the Hubble Space Telescope work?
Credits: NASA The Hubble Space Telescope’s mirror-based optical system collects and focuses light from the universe to be analyzed by science and guidance instruments. The optical system, called the Optical Telescope Assembly (OTA), gives Hubble a unique view of the universe by gathering infrared, visible and ultraviolet light.
Who built the Hubble Space Telescope’s primary mirror?
Shortly after the Hubble Space Telescope’s launch in 1990, operators discovered that the observatory’s primary mirror had an aberration that affected the clarity of the telescope’s early images. Hubble’s primary mirror was built by what was then called Perkin-Elmer Corporation, in Danbury, Connecticut.
What are the effects of optical aberration in the Hubble telescope?
The effects of optical aberration in Hubble’s 8-foot primary mirror blur starlight, smear out fine detail, and limit the telescope’s ability to see faint structures. The image on the right, taken Dec. 31, 1993, was from the Wide Field and Planetary Camera (WFPC-2) installed during the servicing mission.
What happened to the curvature of Hubble’s mirror?
Though Hubble’s primary mirror was ground to the right smoothness, it was not ground to the correct curvature. After Hubble was launched in 1990, NASA discovered that the primary mirror had an error called “spherical aberration.” The curvature of the mirror was off by less than one millionth of a meter — or a mere 1/50th the width of a human hair.