Page 257 - Inventions - A Visual Encyclopedia (DK - Smithsonian)

Observing from orbit

Insulation protects the
■ ■ What? Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) telescope from harsh
■ ■ Who? NASA sunlight in space.
■ ■ Where and when? Low Earth Orbit, 1983 Primary mirror
inside is 7.9 ft
From the late 1940s, rocket-borne radiation (2.4 m) in diameter
detectors revealed that space was filled with
invisible rays that are absorbed by Earth’s
atmosphere. Ultraviolet satellite observatories
launched since the 1960s study some
of these rays, while infrared satellites,
pioneered by IRAS, use specially cooled
telescopes to detect weak heat radiation
and map the night sky.

Sunshade helps The solar panels SPACE
protect and cool convert sunlight
IRAS telescope into electricity to
run the spacecraft
and its instruments.

Communication
Large space telescope antenna

■ ■ What? Hubble Space Telescope Telescope was finally launched in 1990
■ ■ Who? NASA and has a crystal-clear view of deep
■ ■ Where and when? Low Earth Orbit, space. Named in honor of the American
launched 1990
astronomer Edwin Hubble, it has delivered
In 1946, the American astrophysicist some of the sharpest pictures of celestial
Lyman Spitzer was the first to suggest objects and made discoveries ranging
putting a telescope in space to orbit from previously unknown moons in our
above the distortions of Earth’s solar system to distant galaxies at the
atmosphere. The Hubble Space edge of the universe.

Future telescope

■ ■ What? European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) The main mirror
■ ■ Who? European Southern Observatory is made up of 798
■ ■ Where and when? Chile, c. 2024 hexagonal segments.
Currently under construction, the next generation
of telescopes will be even larger and more
powerful. The European Extremely Large
Telescope (E-ELT) in the Atacama Desert
in Chile will use a honeycomb network
of mirrors whose positions are constantly
adjusted by computer. With a total diameter
of 129 ft (39.3 m), the telescope will gather Cameras and
spectrographs
100 million times more light than a human
are housed on
eye. This will enable astronomers to see an instrument
planets that orbit other stars and study the platform.
most distant galaxies in the universe.

The main deck supports the European
telescope’s weight and can Extremely Large
rotate to turn it around.
Telescope (E-ELT)
255

US_254-255_Telescopes_Gallery.indd 255 08/03/18 6:37 PM