Telescope

May be the most important invention in astronomy is telescope. This astronomical tool used mainly to collect ray or electromagnetic spectrum from space to make image of astronomical body.

The first functional telescope was made by Dutchman in the early 16th century. In 1609 Galileo in Italy designed the more advance telescope that he claimed that he could see the ring of Saturn. Since then the more complex develop and many types of telescopes was made.

From the electromagnetic spectrum which the telescope designed to collect, there are two types of telescope, optical and radio telescope. The optical telescope divided more as refracting telescope and reflecting telescope. The refraction telescope uses the arranged lenses to collect ray and focused in eye-piece lenses. The reflection telescope uses arranged mirror to collect ray. There also mix type that uses the lenses and mirrors.

In refraction telescope the larger the lenses the more rays can be collected. Because of the effect of dispersion, the lenses could not be larger to about one meter in diameter. So the largest reflecting telescope has arranged lenses which its diameter is around one meter only. For more power to collect ray the reflecting telescope become mainstay. The lager reflecting telescope uses the mirror which its diameter is hundreds meters like in Arceribo in Puerto Rico.

Because of the ray come from outer space not just only in light spectrum, the radio telescope is developed to collect electromagnetic wave. The design in radio telescope depends on the spectrum that the telescope intended to collect. The wave is for instance Radio wave, X-Ray, Ultraviolet, Infrared and Gamma Ray. From radio telescope the invention of astronomical phenomena is made. For an example a quasar found from radio telescope. A quasar is a type of dying-star that emits the burst radio wave in periodical.


We as the young scientist can design the simple telescope to catch accurate image of astronomical body near and around earth, for instance Venus, mars and mercury that sometimes could be seen in night and evening sky.