Hubble Space Telescope. Image credit: NASA credit:
Our understanding of the cosmos has been revolutionized by the Hubble Space Telescope. The breathtaking familiar photos, like the Pillars of Creation, pale in comparison to the astounding amount of science data returned to Earth. Hubble's getting old, though, serviced several times already, and due for another mission later this year. Let's relive the historic observatory's amazing life so far, and see what the future holds.
Detector on a telescope used with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Image credit: SDSS credit:
Our senses can only detect a fraction of the phenomena happening in the Universe. That's why scientists and engineers develop detectors, to let us see radiation and particles that we could never detect with our eyes and ears. This week we'll go through them all, so you can understand how we see what we can't see.
The Hubble Ultra Deep Field can see galaxies as they existed 400-800 million years after the big bang. But are they at the edge of the universe? credit: NASA, ESA, S. Beckwith (STScI) and the HUDF Team
We’re ready to complete our trilogy of discovery about the universe. We’ve learned that it has no center; rather everywhere is its center and nowhere. We discovered that the universe seems to be flat. It's not open, it's not closed, it's flat. If that doesn’t make any sense, you need to listen to the previous show because there’s no way I could give that an explanation.
So now we want to know: “How big is it?” Does it go on forever or is it finite in scale? How much of it can we see?
Artist impression of Comet Shoemaker-Levy. Credit: NASA credit:
Astronomy is one of the few sciences where amateurs make meaningful contributions to discoveries. Many professional researchers work hand-in-hand with teams of amateurs to make discoveries that just wouldn't be possible without this kind of collaboration. In fact, Pamela regularly relies on dedicated enthusiasts for her data on variable stars.
The Giant Magellen Telescope will have seven 8.4m mirrors with the power of a 24.5m mirror credit: GMT Consortium
The last decade has been the golden age of astronomy, with new observatories and space telescopes pushing out our understanding of the Universe. We can see billions of light years away, watch dynamic events unfold in almost real-time, and see into every corner of the electromagnetic spectrum. Just you wait: things will only get better. Here come the supertelescopes!
Galaxy cluster Abell 2218 is acting as a powerful lens, magnifying all galaxies lying behind the cluster core. credit: ESA, NASA, J.-P. Kneib (Caltech/Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées) and R. Ellis (Caltech)
Astronomers are always trying to get their hands on bigger and more powerful telescopes. But the most powerful telescopes in the Universe are completely natural, and the size of a galaxy cluster. When you use the gravity of a galaxy as a lens, you can peer right back to the edges of the observable Universe.
Asteroids 243 Ida and Dactyl are pretty and harmless credit: NASA
This week we're talking about asteroids. And not just any asteroids, but Near Earth Objects. How do astronomers find these things, why are they buzzing around the Earth, what are the chances we'll actually get hit, and what would happen if we did get hit? How could we stop them?
There's a big bright comet visible in the sky right now. Listen to this special alert, and then go outside right at sunset to see Comet McNaught with your very own eyes. You've got to move quickly, as it'll be lost in the glare of the Sun. Don't worry, it'll reappear shortly, and could be one of the brightest comets in recent history.