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Telescopes in Astronomy

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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 have the "same light-gathering properties, despite differences in size and weight" (Sharma, 2015, para. four). They all have similar purposes. They collect light to focus, magnify and examine it through an eyepiece, but they all do it differently and have pros and cons to them.

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