Posts Tagged ‘telescope’
The Science of Astronomy Today
When we think of astronomy, we may be inclined to think that it only deals with scientists and astronomers looking up at objects in space with a telescope. However, there is far more to astronomy than simply looking at objects in space. In this article, we will look into the science of astronomy.
The Black Space Experience
The roots of the black space experience date back some 8,500 years when the first lunar calendar was crafted from a bone. Like ancient peoples elsewhere in the world, Africans (sub-Saharan black peoples) “shared the same inspiration and awe of the stars” and “struggled to make sense of it [through] creativity and intelligence” [1] patiently taking “countless generations to watch, justify and map the heavens”[2] and define their relationship with them. According to Dr. Thebe Medupe, a prominent astronomer at the University of Cape Town and the South African Astronomical Observatory, “[Africans] shaped constellations out of stellar patterns and came up with stories about them, …constructed calendars to organize their lives and even erected stone alignments… to follow the sun’s ‘path’ throughout the year.”[3] It was for this reason that Bernard Harris, Jr., the first black astronaut to walk in space stated, “When we look at history itself, you realize that astronomy – the study of the stars – that whole origin… [was] being done by people from Africa. And now I get to fly amongst those same stars” when emphasizing the importance of knowing and understanding history – “If you don’t know where you are and where you came from, you’ll never know where you are going.”[4]
Discovering Space – Satellite Technology
Satellite Technology
Satellite technology has become part of all our everyday lives. From telling us what the weather is going to be like, and how to get from one place to another, to offering us a far wider choice of programmes to watch on TV.
The History of Gamma-ray Astronomy
Long before experiments could detect gamma-rays emitted by cosmic sources, scientists had known that the Universe should be producing such high energy photons. Hard work by several brilliant scientists had shown us that a number of different processes which were occurring in the Universe would result in gamma-ray emission. These processes included cosmic ray interactions with interstellar gas, supernova explosions, and interactions of energetic electrons with magnetic fields. In the 1960s, we finally developed the ability to actually detect these emissions and we have been looking at them ever since!
Why Send Telescopes into Space?
Universe sends us light in the entire electromagnetic spectrum. However, much of this light (or radiation) does not reach the earth’s surface. Our atmosphere prevents certain types of radiation, while allowing other types through. Fortunately for life on Earth, our atmosphere block the harmful high energy radiation like X-rays, gamma rays, and most of the ultraviolet light. The atmosphere also absorbs most infrared radiation. On the other hand, our atmosphere transparent to visible light, most radio waves, and a small window in the infrared region. Ground-based optical and infrared observatories are usually placed near the top of the mountain to get a lot of dry upper atmosphere. Radio telescopes can operate both day and night from the surface of the earth. This ground-based observatories to provide long-term studies of objects in space, but they can only detect light that passes through our atmosphere.