S4E1 Students will compare and contrast the physical attributes of stars, star patterns, and planets. d. Identify how technology is used to observe distant objects in the sky. Created for TCSS

For thousands of years, people have been observing the Sun, the Moon, and other objects in the sky. Scientists did not learn how these objects move until a few hundred years ago. Why do you think they took so long?

A telescope is a tool that makes distant objects appear larger, brighter, and sharper. Telescopes help scientists study stars, the Moon, and the planets. Scientists have used telescopes to discover that stars have regular patterns and planets move among the stars.

A radio telescope collects radio waves instead of light. Computers use the radio waves to make pictures of space.

An optical telescope magnifies, makes an object appear larger, by collecting light.

Hubble Space Telescope

The Hubble Space Telescope is different because it is located in space. It was launched into space in It is about the size of a school bus and moves around the Earth every 97 minutes. It takes picture of space from beyond Earth's atmosphere.

A probe is a spacecraft that travels through space to collect science information. They do not have astronauts. Probes send data back to Earth for scientists to study. Some space probes fly out of our solar system and never come back. Other space probes, like the Hubble Space Telescope, stay in orbit around the same planet their whole life.

How is technology used to view distant objects in space? Name 3 different types of technology that can be used to study objects in space and explain how they are used.