...Astronomy is a natural science that is the study of celestial objects (such as moons, planets, stars, nebulae, and galaxies), thephysics, chemistry, mathematics, and evolution of such objects, and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth, including supernovae explosions, gamma ray bursts, and cosmic background radiation. A related but distinct subject, cosmology, is concerned with studying the universe as a whole.[1]Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences. Prehistoric cultures left behind astronomical artifacts such as the Egyptian monuments andNubian monuments, and early civilizations such as the Babylonians, Greeks, Chinese, Indians, Iranians and Maya performed methodical observations of the night sky. However, the invention of the telescope was required before astronomy was able to develop into a modern science. Historically, astronomy has included disciplines as diverse as astrometry, celestial navigation, observational astronomy, and the making of calendars, but professional astronomy is nowadays often considered to be synonymous with astrophysics.[2]During the 20th century, the field of professional astronomy split into observational and theoretical branches. Observational astronomy is focused on acquiring data from observations of astronomical objects, which is then analyzed using basic principles of physics. Theoretical astronomy is oriented toward the development of computer or analytical models to describe astronomical objects and phenomena. The two fields...
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...Summary 1 : The study of the Universe The Universe consists of the space, planets, all the different stars and other matter in it. The size of the Universe is beyond our imagination. According to astronomers a huge explosion named the Big Bang created the Universe about 14 billion years ago . There are four basic forces that control the Universe : electromagnetism, the weak force, the strong force, and gravity. The asteroids, galaxies, comets, black holes, red dwarfs, meteors, moons, planets etc also constitute the Universe. There are nine planets planets in our solar system. They are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. The distances between these planets are huge compared to their sizes. The Sun is about the size of a grapefruit, on a scale of 1to 10 billion. Galaxies are vast collections of stars, gas and dust spinning in space and held together by gravity. Summary 2 : Observing the sky The night sky was made for us to observe. The stars and other celestial objects seem to lie on a large celestial sphere surrounding the Earth. The celestial sphere is an imaginary hollow sphere surrounding Earth to which all objects in the sky were once considered to be attached. The celestial equator is another important imaginary line on the sky. Actually this line is an imaginary circle on the celestial sphere, directly over or above Earth’s equator. As the celestial sphere appears to rotate above us, all the stars rotate on paths that are parallel...
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...for its comprehension. Hundreds if not thousands of astronomers throughout the ages added some valuable pieces of information to astronomical big picture. As Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin brilliantly putted in her 1976 speech " [...] The old scientist cannot claim that the masterpiece is his own work. He may have roughed of part of the design, laid on a few strokes , but he has learned to accept the discoveries of others with the same delight that he experienced on his own[...] (Astronomy Today, Chap. 16, p 383) What we know today about the universe is a collective work of many generation of dedicated man and woman who continue to add new insight of astronomy great spectrum of universe. Some scholars may add a little, some may add a lot, yet some may change our understanding of a matter in question. Such man were Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler and Newton. Those man are credited with revolutionizing the study of astronomy. The heliocentric theory formulated by Copernicus caused strong turmoil within astronomy, physics and cosmology. Many man of science considered it as contrary to Aristotle’s physics and the Bible. However, some astronomers were engaged in...
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...Telescopes in Astronomy Cary Lingle PHY 107 June 25, 2013 Professor Worek Telescopes in Astronomy Peering out beyond the confines of the Earth was a daydream for early scientists. Staring into the heavens from the Earth limited the scientific community’s ability to study the cosmic bodies above the Earth’s surface. As curiosity grew to explore the Sun, moon, stars and far-reaching corners of the universe, creativity was sparked leading to the development of tools like a telescope to assist scientists with examining outer space and its contents. The development of the telescope began in the hands of a Dutch lens maker, Hans Lippershey. Lippershey developed a device consisting of a tube and a lens allowing the user to view objects up close. Galileo Galilei expanded upon Lippershey’s design creating the modern day telescope using a concave lens. Galileo used his telescope view the items in the night sky including the Milky Way. Galileo revealed that the Earth was not at the center of the universe that was a contrasting view from previous scholars. The development of the telescope has lead to significant discoveries including the moon's effect on weather patterns on Earth and in space black holes, stars' lifecycles and galaxies beyond the Milky Way to name a few. The ability to study the Sun has given scholars the ability to determine the age of the Sun, planets and stars in the night sky. The first telescope's original design, consisting of a tube and lens, gave the viewer...
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...Telescopes in Astronomy SCI151 October 08, 2012 Telescopes in Astronomy Telescopes were thought to be created in the year 1608; the earliest known refracting telescopes were created using a tube with a convex objective lens with a concave eyepiece. These devices were designed to assist users in gaining a better view of things that were further away. Initially they were primarily used aboard sea going vessels it was eventually found that they can also view things such as the moon, stars and anything in the heavens much more closely. Unfortunately back in the early 17th century the telescopes were not that powerful and it was not until the mid 17th century that more powerful telescopes were being built. Later astronomers realized that if you build a strong enough telescope and place them in the right spot the view of the night sky could be scientifically spectacular. * How Telescopes Changed Our Lives * Telescopes have been an instrumental tool for how astronomers view the stars, ever since Galileo used his in 1609 to look towards the sky and study the moon and the Milky Way galaxy as whole, the world was forever changed. It was with these devices that we learned that the earth is not the center of the solar system or the universe. With telescopes we learned that the moon has craters and mountains, and that Jupiter has storms and that other planets also have their own distinct weather patterns. With newer and more powerful telescopes we learned that there...
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...Ancient Astronomy • The regularity of the motions of stars and constellations across the heavens made them useful to ancient societies for such things as timekeeping and navigation, and led to the need for a practical means of tracking their movements • Many ancient cultures built large structures to track the movement of objects in the heavens, which functioned as primitive calendars • The best known of these ancient structures is Stonehenge, a stone circle built in England during the Stone Age, which is believed to have allowed its builders to keep track of dates through observation of celestial events • The alignment of the stones corresponds to events such as the rising of the Sun at the summer solstice, and the rising and setting of the Sun and Moon at other times of the year • Many other cultures built monuments with similar alignments and purposes, such as the Big Horn Medicine Wheel in Wyoming and the Caracol temple in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, though the association of these structures with astronomy is more controversial • A more certain candidate for a North American calendar is the Sun Dagger in New Mexico, a rock formation structured such that a sliver of light passes through a carved stone spiral at noon on the summer solstice • There are several sites similar to the Sun Dagger found throughout the American southwest • The ancient Chinese also kept detailed records of astronomical events for astrological purposes; modern astronomers still refer to their...
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...Telescopes in Astronomy Jennifer Boyer SCI/151 June 12, 2015 Robert Austin Telescopes in Astronomy What people currently know about the universe, along with all of its contents, is due in large part to the invention of telescopes. This paper discusses the science of sunlight and stars by explaining how the telescope has changed people’s view of the universe, as well as their place in it. This essay also discusses the major designs of telescopes, provides a list of each design’s strengths and weaknesses, describes the best places to build ground-based telescopes and why astronomers choose those places, and contrasts the strengths and weaknesses between building telescopes on Earth, in orbit, or even on the moon. Additionally, this paper explains how different frequencies of light tell more about the birth, life, and death in the nature and properties of the Sun, stars, and the universe. Lastly, this essay explains how telescopes operate in wavelengths of light that range from radio waves to gamma rays. How Telescopes Changed People’s View The invention of the telescope significantly impacts the way people in the past and present view the Earth, other planets and solar systems, as well as the universe as a whole (Bennett, J., Donahue, M., & Schneider, N., & Voit, M., 2015). Until the invention of Galileo Galilei's (1564-1642) simple telescope, many people thought that the earth was the center of our solar system (Bennett, J., Donahue, M., & Schneider...
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...Telescopes in Astronomy SCI/151 January 26, 2015 Telescopes in Astronomy Telescopes are one of man's greatest inventions. The instrument makes distant objects appear closer and they have taken us on a fantastic voyage of learning about and understanding our universe. This paper will focus on the importance of telescopes, major designs, strengths and weaknesses of telescope locations, and where the best place to build them is. In addition, frequencies of light and the role they play in telescopes are discussed. Prior to the telescope the universe was studied, but without the telescope many discoveries would not have been possible. Birth of the Telescope There is some debate as to who designed the first telescope, however the first person to apply for a telescope patent was Hans Lippershey in 1608 (Cox, 2013). In 1609 when Galileo heard of the telescope he decided to design his own and was the first person to point it up toward space (Cox, 2013). Up until this point it was thought that the universe was geocentric and that the Sun evolved around the Earth. The invention of the telescope helped prove the Copernican system in which all planets evolve around the Sun. This discovery significantly changed our view of the universe and our place in it. Telescope Designs Designs of telescopes range from reflecting, refracting, and catadioptric telescopes. These three types of telescopes...
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...Objective: This lab is to use the internet to find out about telescopes and observatories in the US. Show space images and what was found to be interesting about them and also give information on a space mission. The Otto Struve Telescope is a part of the McDonald Observatory. It is located in the Davis Mountains in West Texas. The Otto Struve is operated by University of Texas astronomers and graduate students; along with other researchers from other institutions. The telescope is 45tons, has a diameter of 19meters (82ft.), and it has a visible light. Not only did it contain the 82inch (2.1 meter) telescope, which is what this telescope was known as before its name, it housed living and sleeping quarters for the astronomers who used and a library – then it was the second largest in the world. Otto Struve made the discovery of Uranus’ fifth moon, Miranda; it also discovered Neptune’s second-largest moon, Neveid. The Star V838 Monocerotis, I found to be interesting because it was a simple cream like swirled color and just the middle was a distinct red spot. This Nebula stood out to me because my favorit color is green and this is a very bright green formation. The Mars Polar Lander/ Deep Space 2 had a mission target of landing on Mars. The mission ended on December 03, 1999. The instruments that the spacecraft carried were: 1. Mars volatiles and climate surveyor (MVACS) 2. Mars descent imager (MARDI) 3. Light detection and ranging (LIDAR) 4. Mars microphone...
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...Astronomy or Astrology? Have you ever finally just gave in to the temptation and read your horoscope in the newspaper on Sunday morning? Sure, we all have. For most of us, itís a curiosity, an amusement to see what they say our day will be like based on the sign of the zodiac that we were born under. Sometimes we forget that this little diversion is actually part of an ancient science called astrology that has had a powerful effect on many cultures dating back to centuries before Christ. That is not to say that astrology is a dead art today. It is easy to find astrology advocates in every town, advertising in the newspaper and on television trying to convince us that they can tell our fortune, our future and help cure our ills by exploring the mysteries of astrology. When you are a lover of astronomy, the confusion between astronomy and astrology by those who donít really understand the differences can get pretty aggravating. And in early civilizations, the two disciplines were not separate. Astrology was just the religious side of the science of astronomy. So what changed? The most significant shift that set in motion the separation of the two lines of thought began in the first century when Ptolemy wrote the very first book on astronomy called the Tetrabiblos. In it, he began to suggest that astronomy should be considered a separate science from astrology. It was quite a revolutionary book because it also was the first scientific document to suggest that...
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...Astronomy: Then and Now Have you ever heard the saying you can’t teach an ole dog new tricks? What about the one where three old dogs teach new tricks? I’m sure you have heard that one, anyone who knows about our solar system can thank the three old dogs. Well, they’re not dogs at all, and at their time they weren’t old but in our time their long gone. Of course, I am speaking about Ptolemy, Copernicus, and Kepler. Funny thing is each one of them challenged and changed their predecessor's work, for the better of course, but we will get to that later. We have these three men to thank for a whole lot of new tricks. To name a few would be, our solar system, the way we form our maps, and we can’t forget the numerous mathematical formulas used to make ideas come to life. In this research paper, we will touch base on the lives of three great astronomers and the tricks they have taught us. We will also see how astronomers of today contribute to our everyday lives. Some say that our first astronomer was a great astronomer. Other say, “Ptolemy was the only great astronomer of Roman Alexandria.” (Brown, 2016) It’s all a matter of opinion, but what we cannot deny was Ptolemy was a great astronomer of his time and today. We do not know much about Ptolemy’s personal life. What we do know about him came from his work. He was born around 85ce in Egypt to a Greek family even though he bore a roman name. To say Ptolemy was diverse is an understatement. He was also diverse in his studies...
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...Numerous people confuse astrology with astronomy when they actually have several differences. Mankind's known history of the universe and today's scientific knowledge are ways to tell the two apart. Astronomy is the study of matter outside the Earth’s atmosphere. Astronomy studies the chemical and physical properties of outer space. Astrology also studies the effects of apparent influence of the stars on human life. The position and movement of stars throughout the night sky determine the effects. Although astrology and astronomy both study celestial objects, astronomy is different because astronomy studies the actual bodies and the physical effects their motions have on the Earth and other planets. Before the time of astronomy, most people believe the Earth was flat. Most cultures also believe they were in the center of the universe and all life gravitates around them. Aristarchus is one of the first people to voice his belief that the world revolves around the sun and not the other way around. People ridicule such outrageous remarks, so they disregard Aristarchus’ vision for some time. That is until around the 1500s, when Nicolaus Copernicus creates the first heliocentric model of our solar system. In this model, the sun is not the center of the model, but actually slightly off center towards one side. Galileo is extremely well known in the astronomical world. He introduces the law of time and how objects at such given distances can be easily measured by time. Galileo creates...
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...Studying the Stars: How the Telescope Changed Astronomy As long as humans have been able to see, they have looked at the stars with either with worship or with wonder. The earliest cultures of humanity created their deities from the heavens, most of which were seating upon the glowing specks of light that show through the black night sky. Humans only have a few senses that let them interact with and receive information from the environment, sight being the most useful. Trying to figure out what something far away is, in a star’s case, far enough away to make a giant ball of burning helium look like a speck, is something that requires a tool. Telescopes were the first tool that really helped humans see into the heavens, letting them study the stars and the ‘wanderers’ which eventually were found out to be planets moving around the sun (although at the time they were discovered, it was thought that everything revolved around the earth); albeit all of these stars and planets were discovered before Galileo’s telescope. The tool still helped gain better calculations of the stars, which helped Galileo support Nicolaus Copernicus’ heliocentric (sun-centered) solar system as opposed to the geocentric (earth-centered) solar system that people in those times believed. With Isaac Newton, one of the most famous physicists, discovering most of laws of motion through his studies in astronomy, Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, one of the greatest works in the Scientific Revolution...
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...Elizabethan Astronomy: the Best Era Ever Although pre-elizabethan astronomy paved the way for astronomers of the elizabethan era. Astronomy from the Elizabethan era had the most influence on modern astronomy, because of the contributions of the leaders of the renaissance, shifts in beliefs, and new changes in questioning. In pre-elizabethan times, astronomy was linked to other science fields such as cosmology and astrology. During the elizabethan era, they made the distinction between the three. Cosmology is the study of the nature of the universe and astrology is the science of the influence of heavenly bodies on earthly matters. Astronomy however, is the study of the number, size, and motion of heavenly bodies. (Astronomy)There were many changes to the astronomy field that occurred once astronomy was put into its own field. For astronomy to be in its own field, astronomy needed a reason. The reason astronomy was used and had its own field is because of King Charles II. King Charles’ hand was forced into creating an observatory in Greenwich in order for astronomical research to be...
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...Jose Amaro Phys-202 Extra Credit LSST Astronomy has been growing more and more everyday, new discoveries, enhanced telescopes, new stars, galaxies and more have been found and discovered. Everything about the world we live in, space, and the entire universe is fascinating. The only problem is it takes such a long time to learn even more about more planets, maybe even life somewhere in the universe that we don’t know of, or to learn more about other galaxies and stars. The technology we have today takes years and years to just retrieve data and sometimes a lifetime. Although, there has been a new invention, located in South America, that can answer many important questions asked about the universe, space, and where we will. The invention and facility that will answer many question and enhance astronomy is called the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope or LSST. This telescope is has all new technology that is going be used for wide spread use, such as a camera that is 3200 megapixels which is the largest digital camera in the world, data management that takes 30 terabytes of data nightly and instant alerts on any object that change in position or in brightness, and a telescope that has two aspherical optical surfaces, this is also an ground telescope. Its also located in Cerro Pachon, Chile, but why? Its because location of the LSST had to be done by a international site election committee. To place this telescope light pollution, high altitudes, and dry climates came into...
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