1. Space Tools Key Point (Std 8-4.10): Compare the purposes of the tools and the technology that scientists use to study space.

2. space tools Objects which help us to discover and learn about objects in space We’ll look at 4 different classifications of these tools: – Telescopes – Satellites – Space probes – Spectroscopes

3. Telescopes are operated from Earth’s surface 2 main types used by astronomers: – Optical telescopes Reflecting Refracting – Radio telescopes

4. Used to gather/focus light from the visible part of the EM spectrum 1.Refracting: uses convex lenses to collect and magnify light. The light is passed through the lens and into the eyepiece where it is magnified. 2.Reflecting: uses a concave mirror to direct light from an object into a plane mirror and then to an eyepiece Problem: difficult to see through our atmosphere Optical Telescopes

6. Radio Telescopes big satellite dishes which receive radio waves emitted from objects in space Good at observing: stars, black holes, distant galaxies, etc. Can be linked together with others (“Very Large Array”) Can be used in any type of weather; day or night

7. “Very Large Array” in New Mexico

8. Space Probe Contain instruments to collect data AND travel out to other space objects to explore/study them. Advantage: Humans can’t travel long distances in space at this time, but probes can.

9. Satellites Man-made machines put into orbit around the Earth in order to collect information from space and send it back to us for interpretation. – have different telescopes and instruments onboard Advantage: NOT affected by Earth’s atmosphere Track live satellites http://www.n2yo.com/whatsup.php

10. Launched into outer space in 1990 by the USA and orbits the Earth HST is a collection of many types of telescopes: – Reflecting, refracting, radio, infra-red, and x-ray Can read different types of radiation coming from stars and galaxies. Hubble Space Telescope

11. Spectroscope An instrument that collects light from distant stars and separates that light into bands of different colors. By studying the bands, astronomers can identify its elements (what it’s made of).