TELESCOPE = an optical instrument that helps us to see objects bigger and brighter

• the most important tool in astronomy


• discoveries: Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, asteroids, comets, stars, galaxies, moon, ...


• cosmology - science studying origin and revolution of the universe => "universe is expanding" Edwin Hubble (american astronomer) initiated cosmology


• 1^st telescope design - 1608, by Hans Lippershez, dutch eyeglass maker, made distant objects 3x bigger
  
  
  
  • Galileo Galilei improved the tool 2 years later
    
    
    
    • discoveries: - 4 largest moons of Jupiter (Galilean moons)
                         - Venus has moon-like phases => confirmations of Copernicus’ "Earth                                revolves around the Sun" theory
    
    
    • Galilean telescope - telescope with negative lens-eyepiece
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  


• astronomical telescope - positive lens-eyepiece, upside-down image


• terrestrial telescope - 2 positive lenses-eyepiece


• refracting telescope - lenses refracting light


• Isaac Newton used mirrors instead of lenses, 1688 - an invention of the reflecting telescope (used today)


• Keck telescope = biggest telescope, 10 meters in diameter


• 1 degree = 60 arcminutes 


• 1 arcminute = 60 arcseconds


• adaptive optics - the mirror deforms 100s times per second for the movement of stars

SATELLITE = an object orbiting around a planet

• moon = natural satellite


• artificial satellite = satellite made by a human, launched into orbit


• uses of artificial satellites: GPS, communication, photographs, examination of the weather


• Hubble telescope - launched in 1990, orbits the Earth, resolution of more than 1 arcsecond
                                                                                            => fixed in 1993, resolution 0,05 arcsecond


• they house telescopes, cameras, remote sensors, ... + carry people


• 1^st satellite - Sputnik (rus. fellow traveller), 1957, by Soviet Union


• Explorer 1 - 1^st American satellite, 4 months after Sputnik


• 2^nd sat. - with the 1^st dog named Laika


• 3^rd sat. - with the 1^st man Yuri Gagarin


• 1958 - NASA was created


• 1963 - 1^st woman in space, Valentina Tereshkova, Soviet Union, almost 3 days in space 


• 1983 - 1^st American woman in space, Sally Ride


• 1969 - 1^st Moon landing, USA, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, orbited the moon, piloted by Michael Collins

SPACE SHUTTLE 

• Space Transportation System - NASA, early 1980s, launched satellites, Hubble space telescope, ...


• for experiments and service in Insternational Space Station


• program terminated in 2011


• 2 accidents - 14 kills


• NASA dependant on russian spacecraft Soyuz

RADARS 

• detection system, uses radio waves to determine the range, angle, velocity of objects


• uses: military, air + ground traffic control, locating ships, monitoring weather, radar astronomy


• studied by radars: Moon, Venus, Mars, Mercury, 4 biggest moons of Jupiter, Saturn’s rings + Titan, comets

ROVERS = vehicle moving across the surface of celestial bodies 

• use: take pictures, read the atmosphere, take samples of dust and rock


• they land on Moon and Mars, some transport people


• all launched by USA or Russia - except Yutu, chinese lunar rover


• Curiosity - USA, on Mars, searching for presence of life in past, present or future


• cen be self-driven or driven from Earth