Page 34 - DK Children's Encyclopedia

Astronomy SEE ALSO

▸ ▸ Earth p.83
▸ ▸ Light p.147
Astronomy is the science of studying space. The first ▸ ▸ Science p.217
astronomers looked at the night sky with just their eyes. ▸ ▸ The sciences
Modern astronomers use binoculars and telescopes to pp.218–219

look at things too far away to be seen with the naked ▸ ▸ Sun p.247
eye. They look at space to learn about our ▸ ▸ Universe p.263
planet and the universe around it.

Rays of light
enter the
Telescope telescope’s
Telescopes collect light and The “eyepiece” has tube.
magnify images of distant a small lens that
magnifies the image.
objects. They are made of
specially shaped glass surfaces A mirror reflects
called mirrors and lenses, which light towards
can bounce (reflect) or bend the eye.
(refract) rays of light.

The biggest
telescope on Earth

Light is reflected off is the Gran Telescopio
this curved mirror. Canarias in Spain. It
has a mirror 34 ft
(10 m) wide!

Earth in space
Until the 16th century, people believed
that the Earth was at the center of the
solar system. We now know this is not true.

Earth
Galileo Galilei Sun Moon
Galileo Galilei (1564–1642) was the first
scientist to use a telescope to study space
objects. However, his findings weren’t always
accepted by other
people. He was put
in prison for saying
that the sun, as
opposed to the People used to believe that the sun and moon
Earth, was at the moved around the Earth.
center of the
solar system.

Now we know that the moon moves around the
Earth, which moves around the sun.
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