The Telescope




One of the most famous telescopes in the world today is the Hubble Space Telescope.

This telescope was put into orbit around the Earth in 1990 by the Space Shuttle. Being outside the Earth’s atmosphere allows the Hubble to view outer space without background light.

This has enabled it to take some amazing pictures of far away stars and galaxies.

The Telescope

A telescope is an instrument used to see objects that are far away. Telescopes are often used to view the planets and stars. Some of the same optical technology that is used in telescopes is also used to make binoculars and cameras.

  • Light gathering ability – The better a telescope can gather light, the better you will be able to see far away stars and faint objects in the night sky. This feature is usually determined by the size of the aperture of the telescope. The larger the aperture, the more light the telescope can gather.
  • Magnification – The magnification of a telescope describes how much larger the telescope can make objects appear.
  • There are two main types of telescopes. One type uses lenses to magnify the image. Telescopes that use lenses are called refracting telescopes. The other type uses mirrors to focus the light of the image. These telescopes are called reflecting telescopes.
  • The first telescope invented was a refractor invented by Dutch lensmaker Hans Lippershey in 1608. Galileo made some improvements and first used the telescope for astronomy.
  • In the late 1600s, Isaac Newton developed the reflecting telescope. By using mirrors instead of lenses.
  • One of the most famous telescopes in the world today is the Hubble Space Telescope. This telescope was put into orbit around the Earth in 1990 by the Space Shuttle. Being outside the Earth’s atmosphere allows the Hubble to view outer space without background light. This has enabled it to take some amazing pictures of far away stars and galaxies.
  • Fun Facts about Telescopes
  • The successor to the Hubble Telescope is the James Webb Space Telescope. It is planned to be launched in 2018.
  • The first telescopes were used by sea merchants and the military.
  • Most observatories are built on mountaintops where the air is thinner and cleaner.
  • A lot of astronomers today work remotely from the actual telescope. They control the telescope using computers over the internet.
  • The largest refracting telescope in the world is located at Yerkes Observatory in Wisconsin.

Learning resources

Example Questions

  • When was Charles Darwin born?

  • Where and when was the Enigma machine developed?

  • What was the name of the ship that Charles Darwin travelled on?

  • How long was Charles Darwin’s voyage?

  • Which islands did Darwin visit?

  • What are telescopes used to do?

  • Who discovered gravity?

  • Why didn’t Charles Darwin publish his findings straight away?

  • What was the name of the famous code breaker?