There is such a mechanism - a telescope. What is it for? What functions does it perform? How does it help?
general information
Watching the stars has been a fascinating activity since ancient times. It was not only pleasant, but also a good time. Initially, a person could observe the stars only with his own eyes. In such cases, the stars were just points on the vault of heaven. But in the seventeenth century, the telescope was invented. What is it for and what is it used for now? In clear weather, with its help you can watch thousands of stars, carefully examine the month or just watch the depths of space. But, let’s say, man was interested in astronomy. A telescope will help him observe tens, hundreds of thousands or even millions of stars. In this case, it all depends on the power of the device used. So, amateur telescopes give an increase of several hundred times. If we talk about scientific instruments, they can see thousands and millions of times better than us.
Types of telescopes
Conventionally, two groups can be distinguished:
- Amateur appliances. These include telescopes whose magnification is a maximum of several hundred times. Although there are relatively weak devices. So, for observing the sky, you can even buy budget models with a hundredfold increase. If you want to buy such a device for yourself, then know about the telescope - the price for them starts from 5 thousand rubles. Therefore, almost everyone can afford to do astronomy.
- Professional scientific instruments. There is a division into two subgroups: optical and radar telescopes. Alas, the former have a certain, rather modest margin of opportunity. In addition, when a threshold of 250x is reached due to the atmosphere, picture quality sharply begins to decline. An example is the famous Hubble telescope. It can transmit clear pictures with an increase of 5 thousand times. If you neglect the quality, then it can improve the visibility of 24,000! But the real miracle is the radar telescope. What is it for? Scientists use it to observe the Galaxy and even the Universe, learning about new stars, constellations, nebulae and other cosmic objects.
What gives a person a telescope?
He is a ticket to a truly fantastic world of unexplored stellar depths. Even budget amateur telescopes will make scientific discoveries (even if they were made earlier by one of the professional astronomers). Although an ordinary person can do a lot. So, was it known to the reader that most comets were discovered by amateurs, not professionals? Some people make a discovery not even once, but a lot, calling the found objects as they want. But even if it was not possible to find anything new, then everyone with a telescope can feel much closer to the depths of the universe. With it, you can admire the beauties of the
lunar seas and other planets of the solar system.
If we talk about our satellite, it will be possible to carefully consider the relief of its surface, which will be more lively, voluminous and detailed. In addition to the moon, it will be possible to admire the rings of Jupiter and Saturn, the polar cap of Mars, dreaming of how apple trees will grow on it, the beautiful Venus and the fallen sun Mercury. This is truly an amazing sight! With a more or less powerful instrument, it will be possible to observe star clusters, variable and double massive fireballs, nebulae, and even nearby galaxies. True, to detect the latter, you still need certain skills. Therefore, it will be necessary to buy not only telescopes, but also educational literature.
Faithful Telescope Helper
In addition to this device, another tool for studying space will be useful to its owner - a map of the starry sky. This is a reliable and faithful cheat sheet that helps and facilitates the search for desired objects. Previously, paper maps were used for this. But now they have been successfully replaced by electronic options. They are much more convenient to use than printed cards. Moreover, this direction is actively developing, so even ... a virtual planetarium can provide significant assistance to the owner of the telescope. Thanks to them, the required image will be quickly presented upon first request. Among the additional functions of such software is even the provision of any supporting information that may be useful.
So we figured out what constitutes a telescope, what it is for and what opportunities it provides.