The Hubble Space Telescope By Elizabeth Walsh

The Beginning of Hubble Astrophysicist Dr. Lyman Spitzer Jr. proposed the idea of a space telescope in order to get clearer pictures of the universe in 1946 NASA began drafting with approval and funding from congress in 1977 – Named the telescope after Edwin Hubble The Hubble Space Telescope began orbit on April 24, 1990

The Design of Hubble Like all telescopes, Hubble’s long tube is open at one end in order to let in light, equipped with mirrors to gather and bring in this light – These mirrors are made of glass and coated with layers of pure aluminum and magnesium fluoride in order to reflect visible, infrared and ultraviolent light Hubble is a special type of telescope called a Cassegrain Reflector Telescope

The Design of Hubble

Cassegrain Reflector Telescope Light enters through the opening and bounces off a primary mirror to a secondary mirror It then reflects back through a hole in the primary mirror to a focal point behind it Small mirrors then distribute the light at this focal point to various scientific instruments The path of incoming light resembles the letter “W” (with 3 downward humps)

Hubble as a Spacecraft Because Hubble is more than a telescope, but a spacecraft as well, it needs to sustain communication during orbit Two large solar panels are the source of electrical power for the craft Communication is fulfilled via relay satellites called the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) system

Limitations of the HST Hubble is unable to observe the sun due to the intensity of light It’s own orbit also restricts what can be seen Part of it’s orbit passes through sections of the Van Allen radiation belts, causing high background radiation which interferes with detection

Hubble’s Impact Hubble has changed the way we view space The findings from Hubble allow scientists to discover more about the age of the universe, stars, black holes, and more Hubble has observed more than 30,000 celestial objects and taken over 570,000 pictures

Hubble and Physics 001 The Hubble telescope’s use of mirrors and reflection related to the lecture on light and reflection We learned about concave and convex mirrors in class and how they reflect light, which is how the Hubble telescope works

New Insight Before researching Hubble, I did not know that mirrors were involved with telescopes I learned the science behind the reflection as well as space crafts Telescopes main power is not to magnify but to capture more light than the human eye could

References Freudenrich, Ph.D., and Sarah Goddard. "How Hubble Space Telescope Works." HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks.com, 1 Dec Web. 15 Apr