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Handout

Vocabulary
astronomer-Scientists who study the universe beyond Earth. catadioptric Telescopes-that use a combination of mirrors and lenses to focus light.

constellation-A group of stars that appear to form a pattern in the sky. Most often these stars are unrelated and are not near each other in space.

electromagnetic spectrum-The full range of electromagnetic radiation.

frequency-The number of wavelengths that pass a given point every second.

gamma ray-A penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation . infrared light-Electromagnetic waves with frequencies between radio waves and red light . light-year-The distance light can travel in one year; 9.5 trillion kilometers.

microwave-The shortest wavelength radio waves.

planet-A round celestial object orbiting a star that has cleared its neighboring region of planetesimals.

radio telescope-A radio antenna that collects radio waves or microwaves.

radio wave-The longest wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum; 1 mm to more than thousands of kilometers.

reflecting telescope-Telescopes that use mirrors to collect and focus light.

refracting telescope-Telescopes that use convex lenses to collect and focus light. space telescope-Telescopes in orbit above Earths atmosphere.

spectrometer-A tool that uses a prism to break light into its component colors. ultraviolet (UV) visible light-The portion of light in the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to humans.

wavelength-Horizontal distance from wave crest to wave crest, or wave trough to wave trough.

X-ray-A band of electromagnetic radiation between gamma and ultraviolet.

Notes

Earth is separated from the rest of the universe by long distances When we look at objects in space such as stars and galaxies we are not just looking over great distances, we are actually looking back in time There are different types telescopes, such as: Optical, Modern, Radio, and Space Optical- collect visible light Modern- collect data that can be stored on a computer Radio- collect and focus radio waves from distant objects Space- orbits Earth, collecting wavelengths of light that are normally blocked by the atmosphere Galileo was the first person to use the telescope and he changed myany people thoughts about the universe Telescopes help us to see things from far away, things in space Very few astronomers use the actual eyepiece of the telescope, instead they attach the telescopes instruments that capture and process the light

Review questions:

1.When did Galileo turn the telescope to the heavens?___________________

2. List the three main types of optical telescopes? a)________________ b)___________________

c)____________________

3. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of putting a telescope into orbit around Earth. _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________

4. Describe two observations that Galileo was the first to make with his telescope. a)____________________________ c)________________________

5. When was the first outer space telescope put out?__________________

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