Questions tagged [telescope]
Telescopes are devices that collect data (usually electromagnetic spectrum, visible or otherwise) to better resolve distant objects.
73
questions
4
votes
1
answer
62
views
Could you see a probe or space ship with a DS4G ion propulsion thruster with a telescope? Would you need IR or UV?
I'm wondering what would be observable to an astronomer if one knew where to look for a distant space craft with a powerful ion engine such as a Dual-Stage 4-Grid (DS4G) electrostatic thruster. In the ...
- 141
4
votes
1
answer
327
views
If the largest spy satellites could take pictures, how detailed would they be?
This question is inspired by the NRO's Orion Satellites. These are surveillance satellites placed near geostationary altitude that measure radio emissions.
Importantly, they have been described as the ...
- 2,473
1
vote
1
answer
81
views
Apparent diameter of a planet
I made a simple sheet that based on apparent diameter of a celestial body which shows to me which of my eyepieces I should use to view an object in my telescope. However, some of bodies like planet ...
- 205
4
votes
2
answers
536
views
Will the Artemis Gateway Lunar Space Station be visible from Earth by amateur observers?
When the entire Lunar Gateway space station is built it would be a bit smaller than the ISS. We amateur astronomers and observers love to spot the ISS and be able to follow the history of space ...
- 2,501
5
votes
1
answer
101
views
With our current technology, how large could we make a useable space-based VLBI telescope?
I am trying to find an equation that models the current technical limits that we have on creating an effective space-based VLBI telescope.
Variables that are likely relevant in the model: distance of ...
- 51
10
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Interesting diffraction pattern on JWST composite false-color image released today (July 11) at Biden preview - how does this arise?
There was an earlier question on the diffraction pattern in the Mar 16 test image that was mainly explained by the hexagonal shape of the individual mirror segments. Today's image has similar ...
- 3,844
3
votes
2
answers
219
views
Can we watch the object move towards the Moon and hit it this week at home? Will there be live telescope feeds?
I'm not even going to name the object because there's been some variability and excitement in its identification (DSCOVR 2nd stage, no not DSCOVR, it's Chinese, no not that Chinse rocket body, this ...
- 149k
3
votes
0
answers
69
views
What can/do astronauts look at with the portable telescopes aboard the ISS?
I would like to know what will be the visibility from the portable telescope aboard the International Space Station.
What could they potentially view, and what are (at least some of) the things they ...
- 369
4
votes
1
answer
220
views
How does the James Webb Space Telescope take images with individual mirror segments?
It says here (and elsewhere) that during mirror alignment the James Webb Space Telescope will take $18$ “individual images” of a star, “one from each mirror segment”. I’m wondering how this is ...
- 141
39
votes
5
answers
6k
views
Can James Webb take pictures of our solar system? In what ways will they differ from/compliment those from Hubble?
I am curious to know whether the James Webb Space Telescope will be able to take pictures of our own planets like Jupiter / Saturn like Hubble did.
If yes, then how different are these images expected ...
- 814
6
votes
2
answers
964
views
What will happen to JWST after its 10 year mission?
JWST launched recently.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Webb_Space_Telescope#Orbit
JWST needs to use propellant to maintain its halo orbit around L2, which provides an upper limit to its designed ...
- 171
9
votes
1
answer
1k
views
How would NASA confirm the James Webb Space Telescope is undamaged after the clamp release incident?
Would NASA point a space telescope at something far enough away in a clean room to confirm that the telescope is functioning correctly before launching it into space? Is there some optical technique ...
- 713
-6
votes
1
answer
185
views
International space station(ISS) viewed from planet earth [closed]
Is it possible to view International space station (ISS) using sophisticated Telescopes from planet earth?
- 369
7
votes
2
answers
305
views
If all Starlink satellites had phone tier cameras & simple scopes, could images processed by their super-resolution imaging network be competitive?
I was wondering; if all Starlink satellites had high-end cellphone quality cameras modules on simple telescopes, could the resulting images be combined and processed in such a way that a super-...
- 71
6
votes
0
answers
104
views
How was the high rate of degradation of Hubble's main mirror initially predicted? Why did it turn out to be lower? Were cosmic rays really a concern?
This answer to How long was the HST initially supposed to work? in Astronomy SE quotes Assessment of Options for Extending the Life of the Hubble Space Telescope: Final Report as follows:
Hubble was ...
- 149k
1
vote
0
answers
46
views
How big of a telescope will Psyche's deep space optical communications demonstrator use out at 5 AU?
NASA JPL News item says:
The spacecraft's instrument payload includes three science instruments. The mission's magnetometer is designed to detect and measure the remnant magnetic field of the ...
- 149k
14
votes
2
answers
3k
views
If we used Hubble, or the James Webb Space Telescope, how good image could we get of the Starman?
I know that this is never going to happen, because those telescopes have much more important things to look for ...
But I was just wondering if we still did it, what would the best result look like? ...
- 383
2
votes
0
answers
115
views
Satellite tracking telescope integrated program in Matlab
How can I get a comprehensive, integrated MATLAB program to set up and capture SGP4 output for telescope mounting?
I am currently receiving state vectors from the SGP4 program, which include the ...
31
votes
3
answers
7k
views
Does it make any scientific sense that a comet coming to crush Earth would appear "sideways" from a telescope and on the sky (from Earth)? [closed]
In multiple different movies and fiction, there's the threat of a burning space comet heading for Earth, threatening to kill everyone and destroy the planet.
One example is the animated Comet in ...
- 319
7
votes
1
answer
178
views
Do crew movements or movement of other objects ever affect space or Earth observation experiments staged on the outside of ISS?
The ISS serves as a platform for both Earth and astronomical observational instrumentation.
Do routine movements of the crew or other objects ever cause problems for these observations through ...
- 149k
0
votes
1
answer
770
views
Is it possible to control the operation of the Hubble Space Telescope from ground stations?
Is it possible to manage the placement of the telescope mirror in a specific location through the operator, or do we have to randomly view the data reflected to the telescope ?
- 49
4
votes
1
answer
112
views
At what wavelengths and for what particle types have astronomical objects been imaged or at least directionally resolved from Tiangong stations?
The ISS has an X-ray telescope called NICER and this answer in Astronomy SE (and links therein) explain that it was able to show that there are hot spots clustered near one pole of the pulsar PSR ...
- 149k
2
votes
1
answer
267
views
When will the telescope that last saw Starman/Roadster be able to see it again?
According to this answer to When was the last time that Starman/Roadster was seen? it was last seen by Earthlings at least at 2018-03-19 03:22:33 UTC by a 1 meter ...
- 149k
3
votes
1
answer
121
views
Could Apollo astronauts see other planets with the CM Scanning Telescope?
The Apollo Command Module had the Scanning Telescope for navigating, "Apollo astronaut located a specific star using a single-power, wide-field telescope."
I'm not concerned whether it could ...
- 6,907
2
votes
2
answers
617
views
When will a moon landing site be visible via telescope?
Telescope technology is advancing. Logically there should be a point where clear images of the landing sites are visible.
I am guessing a 1km telescope would be plenty. If we currently have 100m ...
- 29
14
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Is it feasible to paint SpaceX Starlink satellites black so as not to frequently saturate the CCDs of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope?
update: From Nature.com News article: SpaceX launch highlights threat to astronomy from ‘megaconstellations’:
But an upcoming, cutting-edge telescope could be in bigger trouble. The US Large Synoptic ...
- 149k
1
vote
1
answer
94
views
Why was the central obstruction in Galileo's Solid State Imager (SSI) so large? Was the secondary mirror flat?
According to Wikipedia's Galileo Solid State Imager (SSI)
The SSI was an 800-by-800-pixel solid state camera consisting of an array of silicon sensors called a charge-coupled device (CCD). Galileo ...
- 149k
17
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Are space camera sensors usually round, or square?
A series of round lenses produces a round image on some sort of sensor or sensor array.
When it comes to cameras and telescopes out in space, are the sensors also round?
It seems like most of the ...
- 1,857
11
votes
2
answers
934
views
What was the average temperature of space near the Spitzer Satellite Telescope?
The Spitzer Space Telescope, formerly the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), is an infrared space telescope launched in 2003, to be retired in January 2020.
The temperature of space near ...
- 359
2
votes
1
answer
86
views
What is the state of the art of exosolar planet imaging in 2019?
I have seen this question from 2013 asking if it's possible to take pictures of extrasolar planets. But I am wondering if anything has changed since then. Have we taken higher quality images of other ...
- 578
7
votes
1
answer
294
views
How was the Moon's first telescope used? (Apollo 16)
From Gizmodo's There's Poop on the Moon list of things left on the moon:
This gold-plated telescope that was the first tool used to make astronomical observations from the surface of another ...
- 149k
6
votes
3
answers
438
views
How far away can spacecraft be seen with an optical telescope?
In the question At what time in the Apollo 14 mission did the maneuver shown in this image happen, and what exactly was happening? I've included the image and information below. The caption says that ...
- 149k
1
vote
1
answer
139
views
What optical design is used by the GEDI's receiving telescope and how is the secondary held in place?
GEDI is a sophisticated LIDAR instrument now on its way to the ISS. Once installed, it will use powerful laser pulses (10 mJ, 242 Hz) from several lasers to map height in 3D, collecting multiple ...
- 149k
4
votes
1
answer
341
views
How did Skylab's electrographic ultraviolet camera work?
This answer links to history.nasa.gov's SP-404 Skylab's Astronomy and Space Sciences. In what looks like chapter 2, page 14 there is mention of Skylab's electrographic camera, shown below.
In the ...
- 149k
1
vote
0
answers
64
views
How to start with back yard space exploration? [closed]
I am completely noob to space science. Recently, I visited to my cousins and found amazing experience of observing Moon with telescope. The one that they uses is "Monocular Outdoor High Definition ...
- 11
3
votes
1
answer
92
views
Would we be able to see a Space craft transit in Lunar orbit?
If a Apollo type Moon mission happened today would we be able to see it transit in Lunar orbit? I know we can't see the Landing sites of the Apollo but could we see the Command Module and its shadow ...
3
votes
1
answer
193
views
Is there any Scientific Benefit to the Lower Albedo levels on the Darkside of the Moon?
I was reading the answers to this question:
What did the sky actually look like from the Moon?
And it got me thinking... What, if any, astronomy tasks could be performed better on the lunar far side ...
- 9,377
3
votes
2
answers
306
views
To use a gravitational lens as a telescope, does the hypothetical user have to do so from a given angle?
This question is about the use of a gravitational lens for example of a distant galaxy or sun. I’m curious to know whether the two outer masses, say galaxies or suns (when to the observers of course) ...
- 170
2
votes
0
answers
42
views
How can I find which chemical compounds can be seen on Titan's surface?
Titan has a thick atmosphere made up of mostly molecular Nitrogen and Methane which absorbs light and blocks the surface to telescopes, save for certain "spectral windows" (the white portions in the ...
- 379
4
votes
2
answers
212
views
What is the process to produce a chemical composition spectrum of a celestial body?
I have come across this spectrum, which depicts the chemical composition of Titan's atmosphere:
Taken from here.
I would like to know how do scientists generate such spectra, starting with capturing ...
- 379
1
vote
1
answer
70
views
Recommended source for familiarizing oneself with the applications of spectroscopy in planetary science
I have recently entered the field of planetary science as a limited-scope project which is part of my masters' degree in chemistry.
My project is going to revolve around Titan and its complex organic ...
- 379
2
votes
0
answers
158
views
Technology to directly observe an exoplanets [closed]
I would like to know what number of space telescopes, ideally mass produced ones using current technology and that could be cheaply manufactured and launched en-mass via the future SpaceX BFR. How ...
5
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Could a 21 meter space telescope detect the nearest exoplanets?
For reference, Hubble's mirror is 2.4 meters wide, the upcoming James Webb's 6.5 meters, and the proposed ATLAST 8 or 16 meters. Let's assume a mirror nearly ten times Hubble's size, 21 meters, is ...
- 141
4
votes
2
answers
808
views
Does the Hubble telescope use a "simple" PID-controller for its pointing control system?
I am wondering whether the Hubble Space Telescope uses a "simple" PID controller like this:
Or is it using another type of control system that may be much more complex?
8
votes
1
answer
962
views
Has any ground-based telescope taken a picture of a geostationary broadcast satellite?
I can't find 1 image, but I've heard there are a lot of geostationary satellites. Hovering in one specific spot in the sky, rotating with the Earth's spin and tilt, rotating with Earth's orbit around ...
- 221
-2
votes
3
answers
382
views
How come we can see nearby galaxies but are unable to see TRAPPIST-1?
How do we have telescopes that are powerful enough to see nearby galaxies, such as Andromeda (M31), but are unable to see TRAPPIST-1 or the other exoplanets in its solar system in detail when TRAPPIST-...
0
votes
0
answers
45
views
Why put a telescope on moon? [duplicate]
According to this report:
As a follow-on mission to India's first space X-ray observatory, ASTROSAT, ISRO is planning to set up a telescope on moon.ISRO chairman A S Kiran Kumar said that the ...
- 23
18
votes
3
answers
2k
views
What's the largest aperture telescope sent beyond the Earth-Moon system?
The question and answer about telescopes sent to different planets got me wondering. There are so many solar system bodies that have been photographed by deep space spacecraft, planets, dwarf planet(s?...
- 149k
12
votes
2
answers
999
views
What savings allowed James Webb telescope to be lighter than Hubble?
Wikipedia states:
The telescope has an expected mass about half of Hubble Space Telescope's, but its primary mirror (a 6.5 meter diameter gold-coated beryllium reflector) will have a collecting ...
- 54.9k
18
votes
5
answers
4k
views
Would a lunar telescope provide a significant improvement over terrestrial based equipment?
As I understand it, the moon makes for an ideal location for a telescope because it offers environmental factors that are unlike anything achievable on earth: A lack of atmosphere, light pollution, ...
- 461