Article
Article
Telescope
Article By:
Pasachoff, Jay M. Hopkins Observatory, Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts.
Chapman, Robert D. Laboratory for Solar Physics and Astrophysics, Goddard Space Flight Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Beltsville, Maryland.
Last reviewed:January 2022
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.681600
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- Telescope, published February 2014:Download PDF
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An instrument used to collect, measure, or analyze electromagnetic or other radiation from distant objects. A telescope overcomes the limitations of the human vision by increasing the ability to see faint objects and discern fine details. In addition, when used in conjunction with modern detectors, a telescope can “see” light that is otherwise invisible to the human eye (Fig. 1). The wavelength of the light of interest can have a profound effect on the design of a telescope. By analogy, detectors of particles from space are also known as telescopes. See also: Astronomy; Astronomical observatory; Electromagnetic radiation; Light; Vision
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