Download or read book The Life Story of an Infrared Telescope written by John K. Davies and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-02-11 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written by one of the astronomers who 'lived the dream' of working there this book is a restrospectively expanded diary featuring the 'birth and long life' of what was a truely innovative telescope. Based on input received from people involved in its planning, building, operation, and many scientists who observed with it, the author tells this success story of The United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT). Conceived in the mid 1970's as a cheap and cheerful light-bucket for the newly emerging field of infrared astronomy it has re-invented itself once a decade to remain at the forefront of infrared astronomy for more than 30 years. Even in 2012 / 2013, when ironically it faced almost certain closure, it remained one of the most scientifically productive telescopes in the world. Everybody, including amateur and professional astronomers, interested in real astronomy projects will enjoy reading that story and meet (again) the persons who lived it.
Download or read book Making the Invisible Visible written by Renee M. Rottner and published by . This book was released on 2017-10-08 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Science
Download or read book Making the Invisible Visible written by Renee M. Rottner and published by . This book was released on 2017-01-17 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the early 1970s, there was a small group of advocates for an infrared space telescope; however, the field of infrared astronomy was only a few years old, and no one had ever built a space-based observatory of the required complexity. Considering the technical, political, scientific, and economic uncertainties, it was not obvious that a project like SIRTF could-or should-be dared by NASA. How did SIRTF manage to overcome these uncertainties? This monograph makes visible the invisible forces that influenced the design of SIRTF's innovative technology. The lessons learned by the project team over the course of building SIRTF, now better known as the Spitzer Space Telescope, are about managing innovation over time and in the face of uncertainty.
Download or read book Making the Invisible Visible written by Natoinal Space Administration and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2017-11-03 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This publication, "Making the Invisible Visible: A History of the Spitzer Infrared Telescope Facility (1971-2003)," makes visible the invisible forces that influenced the design of Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF's) innovative technology. The lessons learned by the project team over the course of building SIRTF, now better known as the Spitzer Space Telescope, are about managing innovation over time and in the face of uncertainty. These are universal lessons, applicable to any project whose stakeholders control the necessary resources. SIRTF's stakeholders focused on a variety of issues: technical, scientific, political, and economic, as well as organizational needs and goals. What made SIRTF's evolution particularly difficult was that the stakeholders changed over time-in their composition, goals, and influence.
Download or read book More Things in the Heavens written by Michael Werner and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2019-06-25 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A sweeping tour of the infrared universe as seen through the eyes of NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope Astronomers have been studying the heavens for thousands of years, but until recently much of the cosmos has been invisible to the human eye. Launched in 2003, the Spitzer Space Telescope has brought the infrared universe into focus as never before. Michael Werner and Peter Eisenhardt are among the scientists who worked for decades to bring this historic mission to life. Here is their inside story of how Spitzer continues to carry out cutting-edge infrared astronomy to help answer fundamental questions that have intrigued humankind since time immemorial: Where did we come from? How did the universe evolve? Are we alone? In this panoramic book, Werner and Eisenhardt take readers on a breathtaking guided tour of the cosmos in the infrared, beginning in our solar system and venturing ever outward toward the distant origins of the expanding universe. They explain how astronomers use the infrared to observe celestial bodies that are too cold or too far away for their light to be seen by the eye, to conduct deep surveys of galaxies as they appeared at the dawn of time, and to peer through dense cosmic clouds that obscure major events in the life cycles of planets, stars, and galaxies. Featuring many of Spitzer’s spectacular images, More Things in the Heavens provides a thrilling look at how infrared astronomy is aiding the search for exoplanets and extraterrestrial life, and transforming our understanding of the history and evolution of our universe.
Download or read book Historical Review written by George Henry Rieke and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 17 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first attempts to measure the infrared outputs of stars preceded by nearly a century the permanent establishment of infrared astronomy as an important aspect of the field. There were a number of false starts in that century, significant efforts that had little impact on the astronomical community at large. Why did these efforts fizzle out? What was different in the start that did not fizzle, in the 1960s? I suggest that the most important advances were the success of radio astronomy in demonstrating interesting phenomena outside of the optical regime, and the establishment virtually simultaneously in the United States of a number of research groups that could support each other and compete against one another in their approach to infrared astronomy.
Download or read book A History of Optical Telescopes in Astronomy written by Wilson Wall and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-10-01 with total page 173 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is uniquely about the relationship between the optical telescope and astronomy as they developed together. It covers the time between the telescope's pivotal invention in the 1600's up to the modern era of space-based telescopes. Over the intervening centuries, there were huge improvements in the optical resolution of telescopes, along with changes in their positioning and nature of application that forever altered the course of astronomy. For a long time, the field was an exclusive club for self-motivated stargazers who could afford to build their own telescopes. Many of these leisure-time scholars left their mark by virtue of their meticulous observations and record keeping. Although they would now be considered amateurs, these figures and their contributions were pivotal and are covered in this book alongside professionals, for the first time giving a complete picture of the history of telescopic science.
Download or read book Making the Invisible Visible written by Renee M. Rottner and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Telescope written by Geoff Andersen and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2007 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A history of the telescope includes discussion of such related topics as the dark-adapted human eye, interferometry, adaptive optics, and remote sensing.
Download or read book SIRTF Space Infrared Telescope Facility written by and published by . This book was released on 1990 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Stairway to the Stars written by Barry Parker and published by Springer. This book was released on 1994-08-21 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Each dome is the brainchild of extraordinary scientists - pioneers who, amidst fierce competition and frigid, treacherous conditions - fought for their dreams to build the largest, most magnificent telescopes on Earth.
Download or read book Eyes on the Universe written by Isaac Asimov and published by . This book was released on 1975 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Giant Telescopes written by W. Patrick McCray and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2006-04-30 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every night, astronomers use a new generation of giant telescopes at observatories around the world to study phenomena at the forefront of science. By focusing on the history of the Gemini ObservatoryÑtwin 8-meter telescopes located on mountain peaks in Hawaii and ChileÑGiant Telescopes tells the story behind the planning and construction of modern scientific tools, offering a detailed view of the technological and political transformation of astronomy in the postwar era. Drawing on interviews with participants and archival documents, W. Patrick McCray describes the ambitions and machinations of prominent astronomers, engineers, funding patrons, and politicians in their effort to construct a modern facility for cutting-edge scienceÑand to establish a model for international cooperation in the coming era of Òmegascience.Ó His account details the technological, institutional, cultural, and financial challenges that scientists faced while planning and building a new generation of giant telescopes. Besides exploring how and why scientists embraced the promise and potential of new technologies, he considers how these new tools affected what it means to be an astronomer. McCrayÕs book should interest anyone who desires a deeper understanding of the science, technology, and politics behind finding our place in the universe.
Download or read book The History of the Telescope written by Henry C. King and published by Courier Corporation. This book was released on 2003-01-01 with total page 484 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This remarkable history encompasses not only the achievements of the early inventors and astronomers but also the less frequently recounted stories of the instrument makers and of the actual instruments. A model of unsurpassed, comprehensive scholarship, this volume covers many fields, including professional and amateur astronomy. 196 black-and-white illustrations.
Download or read book The James Webb Space Telescope written by Charles River and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2022-05-28 with total page 98 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On April 24, 1990, the Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off from Kennedy Space Center on the Space Shuttle Program's 35th mission, but this was no ordinary mission. In its payload bay, Discovery was carrying the Hubble Space Telescope, with the objective of putting the telescope into orbit. Despite the costs and initial defects, the Hubble telescope has been a remarkably successful project, furthering astronomers' understanding of the universe more than any other telescope or instrument in history. During its decades in orbit, the versatile telescope has taken high resolution images of objects billions of light years away, giving astronomers a look at the early universe. Along the way it has also taken the most detailed pictures of the solar system, captured the most striking images of star creation and supernovae, and uncovered evidence of phenomena like gamma-ray bursts and dark energy. What made Hubble so crucial is that by escaping Earth's atmosphere, the telescope's views eliminated limitations and interruptions that are a natural part of land-based telescopes. Land-based telescopes are larger, cheaper, and easier to maintain. They are also not vulnerable to the risk of colliding with space junk or fast-moving small meteoric materials. However, even at 11,000 feet, ground-based installations have historically faced atmospheric distortion. The atmosphere blurs the light when a picture is taken through it, and since the 1960s, science has increasingly leaned toward space-based instruments, at first attaching them to balloons and sending them aloft to "carry them above Earth's lower atmosphere." The atmospheric distortion problem with ground telescopes has been largely ameliorated in recent years by the development of "adaptive optics."[1] A ground-based facility can now produce an image as sharp as that of a space telescope. This makes the division of labor between the two a bit clearer. The space instrument provides a wider field of view in addition to fine optical resolution, and it is no longer necessary to use "visual to near-visual"[2] telescopes operating in space. In fact, optical telescope photos are available in high quality for the general public based on NASA technology. Boston Micromachines claims to provide "clearer pictures of celestial objects in deep space than ever before...with 'deformable' mirrors that compensate for atmospheric disturbances and instrument misalignments."[3] Still, scientists need to build space telescopes, not just for high resolution pictures but also to work in wavelengths one cannot observe from Earth. From space, telescopes that work in parts of the non-visual wavelengths provide the only means of viewing x-rays, gamma rays, and extreme ultraviolet rays. Most importantly, they provide "excellent platforms for observing in the far-infrared"[4] spectrum. The Hubble telescope, working in space less than 400 miles above the Earth's surface, produced photos of galaxies previously unseen as they existed only 500 million years before the "Big Bang." It was fortuitous that Hubble outlived its anticipated lifespan by many years, because the launch of its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, was delayed by 15 years. A launch date of 2007 for the James Webb Space Telescope was the original agenda, but two years prior a "major redesign"[5] became necessary. In another instance, "a ripped sunshield during a practice deployment"[6] set the project back, followed by a series of significant cost overruns.
Download or read book Thirty Years of Astronomical Discovery with UKIRT written by Andy Adamson and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-11-26 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: These are the proceedings of an international meeting hosted by the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the dedication of the UKIRT, the United Kingdom InfraRed Telescope. The volume comprises 31 professional level papers. The first part of the book has 10 thorough reviews of the conception, design and build of the telescope, as well as accounts of some its key instruments such as IRCAM (the common-user infrared camera), CGS4 (the fourth Cooled Grating Spectrometer) and the Wide Field Camera. The second part of the book comprises 14 reviews of scientific achievements during its twenty years of visitor mode operations. The final part of the book is a series of 7 reviews of the results from the multiple surveys being done as part of UKIDSS (UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey). The authors are all experts in their respective fields, for example instrument scientists, operations staff and leading astronomers.
Download or read book Assessment of Options for Extending the Life of the Hubble Space Telescope written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2005-03-28 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has operated continuously since 1990. During that time, four space shuttle-based service missions were launched, three of which added major observational capabilities. A fifth â€" SM-4 â€" was intended to replace key telescope systems and install two new instruments. The loss of the space shuttle Columbia, however, resulted in a decision by NASA not to pursue the SM-4 mission leading to a likely end of Hubble's useful life in 2007-2008. This situation resulted in an unprecedented outcry from scientists and the public. As a result, NASA began to explore and develop a robotic servicing mission; and Congress directed NASA to request a study from the National Research Council (NRC) of the robotic and shuttle servicing options for extending the life of Hubble. This report presents an assessment of those two options. It provides an examination of the contributions made by Hubble and those likely as the result of a servicing mission, and a comparative analysis of the potential risk of the two options for servicing Hubble. The study concludes that the Shuttle option would be the most effective one for prolonging Hubble's productive life.
