Famous Telescopes

Over the years, there have been many famous telescopes that have helped to shape the world of astronomy. Certain telescopes are made famous for a couple of reasons. Some telescopes are famous because they paved the way for newer and better products. They also become famous for what they have been proven to do. Here are some of the more famous telescopes we know today.

* The Hubble Space Telescope is probably the most famous and well-know of all telescopes. The Hubble Space Telescope is a 2.4 meter telescope located in space.

Deployed on April 25, 1990, the Hubble Telescope is a giant observatory aboard a spacecraft. It can make observations of the universe using visible, near-ultraviolet and near-infrared light spectra above the filtering effect of earth's atmosphere.

Because of its ability to capture faint light in fine detail and the precision of its observations the Hubble Space Telescope is rapidly expanding astronomers understanding of the cosmos.

* In August of 2003, the Spitzer Space Telescope was launched into space by a Delta rocked launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Spitzer’s mission is to obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space between wavelengths of 3 and 180 microns (1 micron is one-millionth of a meter). Most of this infrared radiation is blocked by the Earth's atmosphere and cannot be observed from the ground.

* The Isaac Newton Telescope was originally placed in Sussex, England, but now is located on the Canary Islands. It is a 2.5 meter optical telescope originally constructed in 1967 and has proven to provide many amazing pictures of space in the astronomical world.

* The Keck Observatory is home to two of the largest optical telescopes in the world called the Keck Telescopes. It is located at the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. These telescopes are famous not only for their size but because their sensors are controlled by advanced computer technologies that allow for precise observations with little interference.

* The Hale Telescope is a 200 inch optical telescope located in Washington and is famous mainly because it was very successful in leading to the rapid advance in understanding of the scale of the Universe and advancing telescope technology to what it is today.

There are many other famous telescopes, but all of them are important in the field of astronomy in their own unique ways. Without them, we wouldn’t have any idea about the vastness of the world beyond the Earth and into space.