ASTR 1000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Hubble Space Telescope, Adaptive Optics, Deformable Mirror
1 Feb 2017
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Document Summary
Optical telescopes: two basic types are reflecting-collect light through mirrors refracting -collect light through lens focus point- where the light meets at one point focus length- where image of the object is formed. Glass impurity, opacity to certain wavelengths, and structural difficulties make it inadvisable to build extremely large refractors. Reflectors are not subject to the problems that limit the usefulness of refractors: earth-based telescopes are being built with active optics and adaptive optics. These advanced technologies yield resolving power comparable to the hubble space. Light more properly (cid:685)visible light(cid:686) is one form of electromagnetic radiation. All electromagnetic radiation (radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, x-rays, and gamma rays) has both wave and particle properties. Gamma rays have the highest energies of all photons, so they are the most dangerous to life. However, ultraviolet radiation from the sun is the most dangerous electromagnetic radiation that we commonly encounter.
