Telescope types, observing techniques, and famous observatories and space telescopes.
30 cards · basic cards · AI-written, checked twice. Edit anything.
- What type of telescope uses lenses to focus light?
- Refractor telescope
- What type of telescope uses a curved mirror to focus light?
- Reflector telescope
- What type of telescope combines mirrors and lenses?
- Catadioptric telescope
- What is aperture in a telescope?
- The diameter of the telescope's primary lens or mirror
- How does increasing aperture affect light-gathering power?
- Larger aperture collects more light, allowing fainter objects to be observed
- What is focal length in a telescope?
- The distance from the primary lens or mirror to the point where light converges to a focus
- What is angular resolution in a telescope?
- The smallest angular separation between two objects that can be distinguished as separate
- Which optical phenomenon limits a ground-based telescope's resolution?
- Atmospheric seeing, caused by turbulence in Earth's atmosphere
- What is adaptive optics in telescopes?
- A technology that corrects for atmospheric distortion using a deformable mirror and a reference star
- What observational technique measures the brightness of celestial objects?
- Photometry
- What observational technique splits light into its component wavelengths?
- Spectroscopy
- What does spectroscopy reveal about a star?
- Its composition, temperature, density, and motion (radial velocity)
- What is interferometry in astronomy?
- A technique combining light from multiple telescopes to achieve higher angular resolution
- What causes redshift in astronomical observations?
- The motion of an object away from the observer or the expansion of the universe
- What is light pollution?
- Excessive artificial light that reduces visibility of stars and faints objects