Can you imagine being able to look at another galaxy from Earth? Telescopes can reveal some amazing things, but they also have limitations. How far away can you really see?
A telescope is a device that uses lenses or mirrors to magnify distant objects.
They were first created in 1608. These early devices were called refractors because the light was bent as it passed through them.
Modern telescopes are designed to focus on specific areas of space.
They use large mirrors to reflect sunlight onto an area where the image will be captured by a camera.
This type of instrument is known as a reflecting telescope. A modern reflecting telescope has many advantages over its predecessor.
It is much more compact and lightweight. Also, it does not need any moving parts. This makes it easier for astronomers to transport.
But can these kinds of telescopes see whole galaxies?
Can The Average Telescope See Other Galaxies?
The average telescope can be bought in any good store and is used by anyone who wants to see the stars.
So, if someone points their telescope out into the night sky, what can we expect to see?
Telescopes can see further into space than our eyes because light travels faster through the air than through a vacuum.
This means that the farther away something is, the longer it takes for us to see it.
Astronomers have discovered hundreds of thousands of other galaxies.
Some of these galaxies are so far away that even our best telescopes cannot see them. But there are others that are closer to us.
These nearby galaxies are easy to spot by the average telescopes, or sometimes even by the naked eye.
If you point your telescope toward one, you should be able to make out a faint fuzzy blob.
As you move the telescope around, you may notice that this object moves too. This means that the object is actually a collection of stars.
Though you won’t be able to see the individual stars that make up the galaxy, just a blob from afar.
If you want to find a galaxy, you must know how to use your telescope properly.
You need to understand how the lens works. You need to know about parallax.
And most importantly, you must learn how to set the aperture correctly.
What Kind Of Telescopes Can See Other Galaxies?
Modern, professional (hella expensive), telescopes do not just capture images of stars and planets. They can also take pictures of galaxies.
In fact, most professional telescopes are equipped with cameras so that their operators can make scientific discoveries about celestial bodies.
Telescopes come in different sizes. There are small handheld ones, medium-sized binoculars, and huge observatories. Each size has its own strengths and weaknesses.
For instance, the largest telescopes are the most powerful.
However, they are also very heavy and bulky. They require a lot of power to operate.
Because of this, they are usually located in observatories.
Some very famous large telescopes have been used to capture some of the clearest images of other galaxies.
Some of the most famous telescopes are the Hubble Telescope and the Hale Telescope.
Hubble Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope was launched in 1990 and has since become the most powerful space telescope ever built.
The Hubble telescope is huge. In fact, it is about 44 ft tall. That’s about as tall as six Lebron James’ standing on each other’s shoulders.
The Hubble Telescope was designed to help scientists discover new objects in space. It uses special lenses to magnify distant objects.
These lenses allow the telescope to collect more light.
As a result, the Hubble Telescope can see objects that are billions of miles away. It has captured some amazing photos of galaxies and star clusters.
In addition to capturing images of galaxies, the Hubble Telescope has helped astronomers figure out how fast those galaxies are moving away from us.
This information helps scientists determine whether or not the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate.
You might wonder why the Hubble Telescope needs to be so big. After all, isn’t it possible to build a smaller telescope that could capture images as well?
Well, yes. In fact, many people have tried to create smaller versions of the Hubble Telescope. Unfortunately, none of them have been successful.
The Hubble telescope is currently located about 340 miles above the earth’s atmosphere.
Hale Telescope
The Hale telescope is used to observe galaxies as well. It’s currently located here in the US in Palomar Observatory, California.
The Hale telescope is one of the biggest ground-based telescopes in existence. Its main purpose is to study the formation and evolution of stars.
As a result, it captures images of galaxies and star clusters that we cannot see with our naked eyes.
The Hale telescope is named after George Ellery Hale who was president of Mount Wilson Observatory. He was also a pioneer in astronomy research.
The Hale telescope has made some groundbreaking discoveries. For example, it discovered that there were two types of stars: red giant stars and blue dwarf stars.
This discovery led to the creation of the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram.
How Do Astronomers Use Telescopes To Find And Assess Galaxies?
When looking at the night sky, you might think that all the stars are fixed in place. In fact, they do move. This movement is caused by the earth’s rotation.
Because the earth rotates once every 24 hours, the stars appear to move across the sky.
You can tell when you are seeing this motion because you will see two images of the same star. One image is slightly brighter than the other.
This difference is caused by the earth rotating between the time that the star was observed and the time that it was photographed.
Because of this effect, the stars appear to change position relative to one another. If you look closely enough, you should be able to spot these changes.
Astronomers use this phenomenon to find galaxies. When they observe the night sky, they try to identify any changes in the positions of the stars.
If there are no changes, then they know that the galaxy must be far away.
If there are changes, however, they know that the galaxy is closer. Using this method, they calculate the distance to the galaxy.
Final Thoughts…
Telescopes are powerful enough to see galaxies, but how clear that image depends on how big the telescope is. In this case, size does matter.
There are lots of different ways that astronomers use telescopes to learn more about the universe.
They use them for studying planets, stars, black holes, supernovas, and much more!
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has captured stunning images of gas and dust swirling around young stars in our Milky Way Galaxy.
These cosmic vistas provide breathtaking looks at newborn stars and their disks of gas and dust surrounding them.
The Hale telescope has made some incredible discoveries too! But remember, before these telescopes were born we used normal telescopes to observe the sky.
And they managed to help us learn so much about our universe and other galaxies. Just imagine how much more we’ll know as telescope technology evolves!
- I Can’t See Anything Clearly Through My Telescope – Help! - April 26, 2022
- Astronomy For Beginners – Getting Started Stargazing! - April 26, 2022
- Are Telescopes Easy To Use? - April 26, 2022