Lens Inquiry A CfAO/ISEE Designed Laboratory Hartnell Community College September 2009

Astronomy The study of objects and matter outside the Earth's atmosphere and of their physical and chemical properties (Merriam Webster dictionary). The objects of study are located so far away, so the only property that astronomers have to study is the light emitted, absorbed, reflected, or scattered by matter in the Universe.

Astronomers rely on Telescopes Telescopes improve our vision of the objects of study. They can do so in a number of ways: – make the object appear larger (although maybe we don't want to say this) – make the object appear sharper (? looking for a word alternative to resolution) – make the object appear brighter

State-of-the-Art Telescopes

Famous Telescopes: The Hubble Space Telescope Reflecting telescope (Mirrors) with 2.4m Primary

Keck: 10m Reflecting Telescopes Each of the primary mirrors is composed of 36 hexagonal segments that work together as a single piece of reflective glass

As technology evolves, telescopes become more advanced and allow us to see more detail in a range of astronomical objects.

Things Inside our Solar System SaturnNeptune Credit: Saturn G. S. Orton & P. A. Yanamandra-Fisher (JPL), Keck Observatory, NASA, Uranus Lawrence Sromovsky, (Univ. Wisconsin- Madison), Keck Observatory, Neptune AO Staff, Keck, LLNL Astronomy Picture of the Day: Uranus

Things inside our own galaxy, the Milky Way M16: Pillars of CreationNGC 1499: The California Nebula Credit: M16 J. Hester, P. Scowen (ASU), HST, NASA NGC 1499 Caltech, Palomar Observatory, Digitized Sky Survey; Courtesy: Scott Kardel

Other galaxies Credit & Copyright: M31 Robert Gendler (robgendlerastropics.com) Hubble Ultra Deep Field S. Beckwith & the HUDF Working Group (STScI), HST, ESA, NASA M31: The Andromeda GalaxyThe Hubble Ultra Deep Field

Refracting Telescopes

Local Refracting (Lens) Telescopes: 36 inch Refractor at Lick Observatory

20 inch Refractor at the Chabot Space and Science Center

What’s Inside?

Layout

Challenger Telescope at Fremont Peak Observatory 30” Diameter f/4.8 Newtonian on an English cross-axis equatorial mount First light in 1986

Red Saturn Credit: G. S. Orton & P. A. Yanamandra-Fisher (JPL), Keck Observatory, NASA Explanation: This strange, false-color image of otherwise familiar planet Saturn shows temperature changes based on thermal infrared emission in the gas giant's atmosphere and rings.

Neptune through Adaptive Optics Credit: AO Staff, Keck, LLNL Explanation: From the Earth's surface, Neptune usually appears as a fuzzy blotch. This image of Neptune in three infrared colors demonstrates the clarity of the new technique – Adaptive Optics - as compared to an image of Neptune from Keck II without AO.

A Sharper View of a Tilted Planet Credit: Lawrence Sromovsky, (Univ. Wisconsin-Madison), Keck Observatory Explanation: These sharp views of tilted gas giant Uranus show dramatic details of the planet's atmosphere and ring system.

M16: Pillars of Creation Credit: J. Hester, P. Scowen (ASU), HST, NASA Explanation: This image, taken with the Hubble Space Telescope in 1995, shows evaporating gaseous globules (EGGs) emerging from pillars of molecular hydrogen gas and dust.

NGC 1499: The California Nebula Credit: Caltech, Palomar Observatory, Digitized Sky Survey; Courtesy: Scott Kardel Explanation: What's California doing in space? Drifting through the Orion Arm of the spiral Milky Way Galaxy, this cosmic cloud by chance echoes the outline of California on the west coast of the United States.

M31: The Andromeda Galaxy Credit & Copyright: Robert Gendler (robgendlerastropics.com) Astronomy Picture of the Day:

The Hubble Ultra Deep Field Credit: S. Beckwith & the HUDF Working Group (STScI), HST, ESA, NASA Explanation: The Hubble Ultra Deep Field is the deepest image of the universe ever taken in visible light, showing a sampling of the oldest galaxies ever seen, galaxies that formed just after the dark ages, 13 billion years ago, when the universe was only 5 percent of its present age.