Tools for Studying Space

Chapter 24.2

Refracting and Reflecting telescopes

Objective Lens makes an imageby bending light from a distant object so the light converges on a focusGalileoChromatic aberration-different wavelengths of light bend differently and appear fuzzy

Uses a concave mirror that focuses the light in front of the mirror

Newton

Refracting and Reflecting telescopes

Here is a short video to explain the difference

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1642953915182690762&q=telescopes&ei=2-CESLfxOafy-AG5pYiXAQ&hl=en

Properties of Optical telescopes

1. Light gathering power (more light)

2. resolving power (sharpness)

3. magnifying power (increased size)

Radio Telescopes

A radio telescope focuses the incoming radio waves on an antenna, which transmits the waves to an amplifier. The radio telescope is used primarily for astronomy, looking at objects that don't emit or reflect enough light to be seen by the usual optical methods.

Space Telescopes

Orbit above the earth’s atmosphere and produce clearer images

Hubble was the first built by NASA

Others are the Chandra X-ray and Compton Gamma ray

Photosphere

• Grainy appearance to sun when look in a telescope caused by granules, areas of hotter gases rising—last 10 minutes and new ones arise causing a convection

• 90% of sun’s surface are hydrogen

• 10% helium

ChromosphereAbove the photosphere is a thin layer of hot

gases. It is viewed during an eclipse as a thin red rim

Corona

Outermost portion of the atmosphere

Visible only when photosphere is covered

Solar wind—ionized gases that escape the gravitational pull of the sun and bombard parts of solar system, it can effect our atmosphere.

The Solar Interior

Nuclear Fusion

-Converts four Hydrogen nuclei into one helium releasing energy

energy is released because some matter is converted to energy

Causes the core to grow in size

Sun can exist in its present state another 10 billion years

The Active Sun

1. Sunspots appear dark because they are cooler areasthey have a regular 11 year cycle

2. ProminencesHuge cloudlike structures of chromatic gasestrapped by magnetic fields

3. Solar flaressudden brightening above a sunset cluster

Auroras-display of color near poles caused by solar flares