Look at the night sky, and you see primarily darkness. A vast multitude of glittering sparks drift over our heads, scattered across the sky. Our gaze registers their beauty but little else. Our vision cannot bring these dazzling pinpoints into focus, observe their true nature. To our eyes, they are mysteries.
Humanity has sought to move beyond the limited vision of biology since the days of Galileo. Telescopes have brought the heavens to Earth, exposed the distant treasures of the universe, revealed countless galaxies cloaked within the apparent darkness. And perhaps no telescope has done so much to bring the wonder and reality of the universe home as the Hubble Space Telescope.
The concept of a telescope in orbit around Earth was first mentioned in a science book by Arthur C. Clark. This telescope would peer at the universe from well above the interference of the Earth's ever turbulent atmosphere, which relentlessly blurs the view in ground-based telescopes and makes stars twinkle. Ahead of his time, Clarke outlined the advantages of an orbiting telescope compared with a telescope that might, at some future point, be installed on the Moon's surface, as had been suggested decades earlier. "Even the Moon's extremely tenuous atmosphere might affect certain delicate observations," he wrote. "an observatory in space would be able to survey the complete sphere of the sky." Today, the orbiting telescope Clarke envisioned is known as the Hubble Space Telescope, and it has been in service since 1990. Before Hubble was launched into orbit around Earth in 1990, there was lots of scientific discussion about what a space telescope might find. The top to-do-list items for Hubble were to measure the expansion rate of the universe, to find distant galaxies and to determine the chemical content of the space between the galaxies. But everyone expected Hubble's most important discoveries would provide answers to questions that astronomers do not know how to ask and find objects that were not yet even conceived.
Question 1: What is the primary observation about the night sky mentioned in the passage?
Answer: The primary observation about the night sky mentioned in the passage is that it appears primarily dark, with a vast multitude of glittering sparks scattered across it.
Question 2: How have telescopes contributed to humanity's understanding of the universe, according to the passage?
Answer: Telescopes have contributed to humanity's understanding of the universe by bringing the heavens to Earth, exposing distant treasures, revealing countless galaxies, and providing insights into the nature of celestial bodies.
Question 3: Who first proposed the concept of a telescope in orbit around Earth, and what were the advantages outlined for such a telescope?
Answer: The concept of a telescope in orbit around Earth was first proposed by Arthur C. Clarke. He outlined the advantages of such a telescope, which included the ability to peer at the universe from above Earth's turbulent atmosphere, providing a clearer view and allowing observations unaffected by atmospheric interference.
Question 4: What is the significance of an orbiting telescope compared to one that might be installed on the Moon's surface, as discussed in the passage?
Answer: An orbiting telescope offers advantages over one installed on the Moon's surface because it can avoid the Moon's atmosphere, which might affect delicate observations. Additionally, an orbiting telescope can survey the complete sphere of the sky.
Question 5: When was the Hubble Space Telescope launched into orbit, and what were some of its intended objectives?
Answer: The Hubble Space Telescope was launched into orbit around Earth in 1990. Some of its intended objectives included measuring the expansion rate of the universe, finding distant galaxies, and determining the chemical content of the space between galaxies.
Question 6: What were astronomers' expectations regarding the discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope before its launch?
Answer: Before its launch, astronomers expected that the Hubble Space Telescope would provide answers to questions they did not yet know how to ask and find objects that were not yet conceived, indicating the potential for groundbreaking discoveries beyond their current understanding of the universe.
