OT: Hubble rulez !

oleg · #1 July 3rd, 2004, 05:24 PM

"The discovery will lend support to the idea that almost every sunlike star in our galaxy, and probably the Universe, is accompanied by planets."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3856401.stm

Kamog · #2 July 3rd, 2004, 05:34 PM

That's great news.

Let's hope that they'll keep the Hubble maintained and operating until they build an even better space telescope.

Renegade 13 · #3 July 3rd, 2004, 05:58 PM

The next space telescope (that operates at optical wavelengths, like Hubble), is set to be the James Webb Space Telescope, slated to be launched in 2010 I believe.

Baron Munchausen · #4 July 3rd, 2004, 06:29 PM

No, the James Webb scope only operates in the 'near infra-red' not in visible light frequencies. It is designed for seeking out the most distant features in the universe (cosmology research). Once Hubble is gone we have no space telescopes for visible light. Apparently the new computer techniques for fixing atmosphere distortion are good enough that ground-based telescopes will be better than any reasonable sized space telescope. The burden of launch weight for any space telescope makes it very hard to compete with this innovation.

Renegade 13 · #5 July 3rd, 2004, 06:51 PM

Oops....well thanks for setting me straight!

narf poit chez BOOM · #6 July 3rd, 2004, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Baron Munchausen:
No, the James Webb scope only operates in the 'near infra-red' not in visible light frequencies. It is designed for seeking out the most distant features in the universe (cosmology research). Once Hubble is gone we have no space telescopes for visible light. Apparently the new computer techniques for fixing atmosphere distortion are good enough that ground-based telescopes will be better than any reasonable sized space telescope. The burden of launch weight for any space telescope makes it very hard to compete with this innovation.

So it seems to me that a space telescope with filtering would be even better.

oleg · #7 July 3rd, 2004, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Baron Munchausen:
...The burden of launch weight for any space telescope makes it very hard to compete with this innovation.

But the base distance between two or more telescopes in space allows the interferometer type experiments to detect Earth size planets across the Galaxy ...

Aiken · #8 July 3rd, 2004, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by oleg:

quote:
Originally posted by Baron Munchausen:
...The burden of launch weight for any space telescope makes it very hard to compete with this innovation.

But the base distance between two or more telescopes in space allows the interferometer type experiments to detect Earth size planets across the Galaxy ...

It would be a layout for Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) telescope's array. Aimed to 2015.

Fyron · #9 July 4th, 2004, 01:15 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by narf poit chez BOOM:
So it seems to me that a space telescope with filtering would be even better.

I think he meant just that the atmosphere of the Earth distorts the images, which is why ground based ones have been no good (compared to Hubble). Now that computers can take care of the distortion, a single telescope on the ground is just as good as one in space.

[ July 04, 2004, 00:18: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

Baron Munchausen · #10 July 4th, 2004, 03:25 AM

Yes, that's it exactly. Space-based telescopes don't need the filtering to correct for the atmosphere. It would have no effect on a space telescope to try to correct for atmosphere. But it turns out that the huge cost of boosting something into orbit, and the difficulties of servicing it there, make ground based telescopes with the correction system seem a pretty good deal.

And as already pointed out, oleg, there is an interferometer in the works.