A Gaze into Astronomy #4

 

Advantages of Large Telescopes

Two of the major advantages of large telescopes are their resolving power and prowess in light gathering. Since large telescopes are wider than casual telescopes (and hence the name), the can resolve object much farther away with much greater quality. For instance, large telescopes resolve lunar cratelets on moon’s surface with higher precision than do smaller telescopes. Large telescopes are especially competent in collecting light. Due to their large aperture, they are able to garner more light which leads into the production of brighter images, helping astronomers inspecting the images.

Space Telescopes’ Advantages over Ground-Based Telescopes

Space telescopes have many advantages over their ground-based counterparts. First of all, they are above the blurring effect caused by the atmosphere, so the images are resolved at higher qualities than they would if they were taken from the ground. Satellite-borne telescopes are also free from light pollution, further improving the quality of the images taken. However, putting telescopes in space is laborious and expensive. It costs hundreds of millions of dollars to send telescopes to space not because of the manufacturing costs of the telescopes, but instead of fuel and spacecraft expenses. After sending the telescopes to space, space companies also need to ensure that they are operating healthily there and this costs even more. For example, instalment and maintenance costs of the Hubble Space Telescope approximate 5 billion dollars, a tremendous amount.

A Gaze into Astronomy #3

Where did the elements we see in the periodic table originate from?

The Sun’s light comes from a nuclear fusion reaction at the inner core of the Sun. All the elements in the periodic table are derived from hydrogen and helium, the two most essential ingredients of everything we see in the universe. Stars amass hydrogen and helium in their cores and squeeze them with such a force that hydrogen and helium turn into new elements through fusion. Then, the newly created elements fuse into other elements with higher atomic numbers, leading to the creation of every single element up until iron.

How do planets form?

Gas clouds accumulate. They start spinning in tremendous speeds; thus, their temperature increases. Then, they collapse under themselves and begin forming a dense region of cosmic material. This material accumulates, binding to itself all the matter available nearby. As the mass pile grows larger and larger, its gravitational force gets more powerful. Then, the mass begins sucking even more material.

How do neutron stars form?

Stars much more massive than the Sun can die and form neutron stars or black holes.

A neutron star is the collapsed core of a giant star and consists of a massive cluster of particles with extreme densities. Neutron stars are the second densest objects, right after black holes. Neutron stars have incredible pulsars that can be detected from Earth.

Black holes are points in space-time where gravity is so strong that virtually nothing can escape from it, including light. It is estimated that every galaxy has a black hole in its centre. Since black holes absorb light, they cannot be seen directly. Black holes consist of three layers: the outward and inner event horizon, and singularity. Singularity is the point in space-time where most of the black hole’s mass can be located at.