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Eyes On The Skies400 Years Of Telescopic Discovery |
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The International Astronomical Union's book and movie celebrating the 400th anniversary of the telescope. The Invention of the telescope has been by far the most revolutionary development in the history of astronomy. For thousands of years, astronomers had to rely on their eyes in unravelling the mysteries of the Universe. The telescope revealed an embarrassment of astronomical riches, and led to a dramatic increase of knowledge about the wider world we live in. The "Eyes on the Skies" movie explores the many facets of the telescope - the historical development, the scientific importance, the technological breakthroughs, and also the people behind this ground-breaking invention, their triumphs and failures. "Eyes on the Skies" is presented by Dr. J, aka Dr. Joe Liske, a professional astronomer from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and host of the Hubblecast video podcast. "Eyes on the Skies" is an official movie for the International Year of Astronomy 2009 and the International Astronomical Union, produced by ESA/Hubble (the same team as behind the widely distributed movie "Hubble - 15 Years of Discovery"). » eyesontheskies.org | eso.org | spacetelescope.org Top | Home | Space |
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Chapter 1a: "New Views Of The Skies" (Part 1). The Invention of the telescope has been by far the most revolutionary development in the history of astronomy. For thousands of years, astronomers had to rely on their eyes in unravelling the mysteries of the Universe. The telescope revealed an embarrassment of astronomical riches, and led to a dramatic increase of knowledge about the wider world we live in. Top | Home | Space |
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Chapter 1b: "New Views Of The Skies" (Part 2). The Invention of the telescope has been by far the most revolutionary development in the history of astronomy. For thousands of years, astronomers had to rely on their eyes in unravelling the mysteries of the Universe. The telescope revealed an embarrassment of astronomical riches, and led to a dramatic increase of knowledge about the wider world we live in. Top | Home | Space |
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Chapter 2: "Bigger is Better". By the early 20th century, the United States took the lead in the development of the telescope. Following the Yerkes refractor (the largest of its kind in the world), George Ellery Hale was instrumental in realizing the famous telescopes at Mount Wilson and Palomar Mountain. Astronomers realized the importance of high-altitude sites, and photography and spectroscopy became their new tools. Top | Home | Space |
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Chapter 3: "Technology to the Rescue". In the 1970's and 1980's, it became clear that bigger telescopes *can* be built, thanks to new technologies that heavily depend on the use of computer power. Efficient telescope mounts, thin and/or segmented mirrors, and active optics made it possible to construct 8-meter-class telescopes. Still newer technologies, like adaptive optics and interferometry, even deal with the blurring effects of the Earth's atmosphere. Top | Home | Space |
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Chapter 4: "From Silver to Silicon". Capturing the light from the distant stars and galaxies with the telescope is only one half of the story. The actual detection of light is the other. Astronomy started as a visual science. Observations were done by eye and recorded as drawings and later on as photographs. The electronic revolution in the 1980's brought with it a range of new ways of recording light. The CCD detector and the digital image processing revolutionized astronomy. Top | Home | Space |
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Chapter 5: "Seeing the Invisible". No longer do telescopes just collect visible light. Scattered around the globe are astronomical facilities that 'see' the Universe at radio, (sub-)millimetre and infrared wavelengths. There are even 'telescopes' to study gamma rays, high-energy particles and gravitational waves, as well as neutrino observatories that need to be buried underground. Without this multispectral approach, the study of the Universe would be severely incomplete. Top | Home | Space |
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Chapter 6: "Beyond Earth". With the advent of spaceflight, astronomers realized the potential of Earth-orbiting telescopes. A space telescope could no longer be hampered by the disturbing effects of the atmosphere. Moreover, above the absorbing atmosphere, it would be possible to study long-wavelength infrared radiation, ultraviolet waves and x-rays. Space telescopes have revolutionized almost every field of astronomy. Top | Home | Space |
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