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NASA Infrared Telescope Facility
The NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (NASA IRTF) is a telescope optimized for use in infrared astronomy and located at the Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii. It was first built to support the Voyager program, Voyager missions and is now the US national facility for infrared astronomy, providing continued support to planetary, solar neighborhood, and deep space applications. The IRTF is operated by the University of Hawaii under a cooperative agreement with NASA. According to the IRTF's time allocation rules, at least 50% of the observing time is devoted to planetary science. Telescope The IRTF is a 3.0 m (118" effective aperture) classical Cassegrain telescope. The Cassegrain focus f/ratio is f/38 and the primary mirror f/ratio is 2.5. Several aspects of the design of IRTF are optimized for IR observations. The secondary mirror is undersized to prevent the instrument from seeing the thermal emission from the telescope structure around the primary mirror. The primary mirror ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Telescope
A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, Absorption (electromagnetic radiation), absorption, or Reflection (physics), reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally, it was an optical instrument using lenses, curved mirrors, or a combination of both to observe distant objects – an optical telescope. Nowadays, the word "telescope" is defined as a wide range of instruments capable of detecting different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, and in some cases other types of detectors. The first known practical telescopes were refracting telescopes with glass lenses and were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 17th century. They were used for both terrestrial applications and astronomy. The reflecting telescope, which uses mirrors to collect and focus light, was invented within a few decades of the first refracting telescope. In the 20th century, many new types of telescopes were invented, including radio telescopes in t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joint Astronomy Centre
The Joint Astronomy Centre (JAC) was a management organisation based in Hilo, Hawaii, which from c.1980-2015 operated two large telescopes at Mauna Kea Observatory on behalf of an international consortium from the United Kingdom, Canada and the Netherlands, and provided support for other telescopes and public outreach activities. The JAC also maintained the Starlink Project between 2006 and 2015. Following withdrawal of funding by the partner nations, on March 1, 2015, the Joint Astronomy Centre closed and the facility was handed over to the East Asian Observatory which now runs the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. The major telescopes formerly operated by the JAC were: # The United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) - 3.8m diameter. # The James Clerk Maxwell Telescope - 15m diameter submillimeter telescope See also * List of astronomical observatories This is a partial list of astronomical observatories ordered by name, along with initial dates of operation (where an accurate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Infrared Telescopes
An infrared telescope is a telescope that uses infrared light to detect celestial bodies. Infrared light is one of several types of radiation present in the electromagnetic spectrum. All celestial objects with a temperature above absolute zero emit some form of electromagnetic radiation. In order to study the universe, scientists use several different types of telescopes to detect these different types of emitted radiation in the electromagnetic spectrum. Some of these are gamma ray, x-ray, ultra-violet, regular visible light (optical), as well as infrared telescopes. Leading discoveries There were several key developments that led to the invention of the infrared telescope: * In 1800, William Herschel discovered infrared radiation. * In 1878, Samuel Pierpoint Langley created the first bolometer. This was a very sensitive instrument that could electrically detect incredibly small changes in temperature in the infrared spectrum. * Thomas Edison used an alternative technology, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Largest Infrared Telescopes
The largest infrared telescopes for infrared astronomy are listed in terms of diameter of primary mirror. The infrared spectrum with its longer wavelength than visible light has a number of challenges, especially for ground-based observatories but also in space. Notably infrared radiation is emitted by all physical objects above Absolute Zero temperature so telescopes are subject to local interference. Overall Infrared observations from Earth's surface are possible in a limited way but can be very dependent on location and atmospheric conditions. Water vapour in the Earth's atmosphere blocks much of the infrared band, although some limited observations are possible and there is a number of infrared observatories. Sometimes other optical telescopes can make infrared observations if they are equipped with the right detectors, even if they are not dedicated infrared observatories. For ground-based observatories, the location can make a big difference in how much observation is po ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Largest Optical Reflecting Telescopes
This list of the largest optical reflecting telescopes with Objective (optics), objective diameters of or greater is sorted by aperture, which is a measure of the light-gathering power and resolution of a reflecting telescope. The mirrors themselves can be larger than the aperture, and some telescopes may use aperture synthesis through interferometry. Telescopes designed to be used as optical astronomical interferometers such as the Keck I and II used together as the Keck Interferometer (up to 85 m) can reach higher resolutions, although at a narrower range of observations. When the two mirrors are on one mount, the combined mirror spacing of the Large Binocular Telescope (22.8 m) allows fuller use of the aperture synthesis. Largest does not always equate to being the best telescopes, and overall light gathering power of the optical system can be a poor measure of a telescope's performance. space observatory, Space-based telescopes, such as the Hubble Space Telescope, t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mauna Kea Observatory
The Mauna Kea Observatories (MKO) are a group of independent astronomical research facilities and large telescope observatories that are located at the summit of Mauna Kea on Hawaiʻi, United States. The facilities are located in a 525-acre (212 ha) special land use zone known as the "Astronomy Precinct", which is located within the 11,228-acre (4,544 ha) Mauna Kea Science Reserve. The Astronomy Precinct was established in 1967 and is located on land protected by the Historical Preservation Act for its significance to Hawaiian culture. The presence and continued construction of telescopes is highly controversial due to Mauna Kea's centrality in native Hawaiian religion and culture, as well as for a variety of environmental reasons. The location is near ideal because of its dark skies from lack of light pollution, good astronomical seeing, low humidity, high elevation of , position above most of the water vapor in the atmosphere, clean air, good weather and low latit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mont Mégantic Observatory
The Mont Mégantic Observatory (, ; OMM) is an astronomical observatory owned and operated jointly by the Université de Montréal (UdeM) and the Université Laval (ULaval). Founded in 1978, the observatory houses the second largest telescope in Eastern Canada after David Dunlap Observatory near Toronto. It is situated at the summit of Mont Mégantic, the highest point of Eastern Canada accessible by car. OMM is about east of Sherbrooke and east of Montreal. The asteroid 4843 Mégantic is named for the observatory. Telescope The Ritchey-Chrétien telescope is equipped with a complement of modern instruments. Imaging, spectroscopy, and polarimetry are routinely conducted at both visible and infrared wavelengths. Light pollution Efforts to control local light pollution, about one-quarter of which is due to the nearby city of Sherbrooke, have led to the establishment of the world's first International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) Dark Sky preserve around the observatory ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gornergrat Infrared Telescope
The Telescopio InfraRosso del Gornergrat (TIRGO), or the Gornergrat Infrared Telescope, was located on the northern tower of the Kulm Hotel at Gornergrat ( altitude) near Zermatt, Switzerland. It was a Cassegrain telescope with a tip-tilt correcting secondary and optimized for infrared observations, but was decommissioned in March 2005. The telescope and related instrumentation were run by the Istituto di Radioastronomia (IRA - C.N.R.), sezione di Firenze (former CAISMI), with the assistance of the Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri and the Dipartimento di Astronomia e Scienza dello Spazio of the University of Florence. See also *List of largest optical telescopes in the 20th century *List of largest infrared telescopes The largest infrared telescopes for infrared astronomy are listed in terms of diameter of primary mirror. The infrared spectrum with its longer wavelength than visible light has a number of challenges, especially for ground-based observatories ... Inf ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
NASA Infrared Telescope Facility
The NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (NASA IRTF) is a telescope optimized for use in infrared astronomy and located at the Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii. It was first built to support the Voyager program, Voyager missions and is now the US national facility for infrared astronomy, providing continued support to planetary, solar neighborhood, and deep space applications. The IRTF is operated by the University of Hawaii under a cooperative agreement with NASA. According to the IRTF's time allocation rules, at least 50% of the observing time is devoted to planetary science. Telescope The IRTF is a 3.0 m (118" effective aperture) classical Cassegrain telescope. The Cassegrain focus f/ratio is f/38 and the primary mirror f/ratio is 2.5. Several aspects of the design of IRTF are optimized for IR observations. The secondary mirror is undersized to prevent the instrument from seeing the thermal emission from the telescope structure around the primary mirror. The primary mirror ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
La Silla Observatory
La Silla Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Chile with three telescopes built and operated by the European Southern Observatory (ESO). Several other telescopes are also located at the site and are partly maintained by ESO. The observatory is one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere and was the first in Chile to be used by ESO. The La Silla telescopes and instruments are located 150 km northeast of La Serena, on the outskirts of the Atacama Desert, one of the driest and most remote areas in the world. Like other observatories in this region, La Silla is far from sources of light pollution and, like the Paranal Observatory—home to the Very Large Telescope—it has some of the darkest night skies on Earth. History Following the decision in 1963 to approve Chile as the site for the ESO observatory, scouting parties were sent to various locations to assess their suitability. The site that was decided upon was La Silla in the southern part of the Atacama Des ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
European Southern Observatory
The European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere, commonly referred to as the European Southern Observatory (ESO), is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental research organisation made up of 16 member states for ground-based astronomy. Created in 1962, ESO has provided astronomers with state-of-the-art research facilities and access to the southern sky. The organisation employs over 750 staff members and receives annual member state contributions of approximately €162 million. Its observatories are located in northern Chile. ESO has built and operated some of the largest and most technologically advanced telescopes. These include the 3.6 m New Technology Telescope, an early pioneer in the use of active optics, and the Very Large Telescope (VLT), which consists of four individual 8.2 m telescopes and four smaller auxiliary telescopes which can all work together or separately. The Atacama Large Millimeter Array observes the u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ESO 3
The European Southern Observatory is an astronomical research organisation. ESO may also refer to: *Employee stock option (also: executive stock option) *'' Ether Saga Odyssey'', a fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game *''The Elder Scrolls Online'', a fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game *Existential second-order logic *ESO (motorcycles) * Eso (town), Orhionmwon, Edo State, Nigeria Organisations * European Standardisation Organisations: CEN (European Committee for Standardization), CENELEC (European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation) and ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) *Ensemble Studios Online *Edmonton Symphony Orchestra *Energijos skirstymo operatorius (ESO), Lithuanian electricity transmission network operator *Evergreen Symphony Orchestra, an orchestra in Taiwan *Eteläsuomalainen osakunta, a student nation at the University of Helsinki *Libyan External Security Organisation *External Security Organisatio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
