Astronomy and Telescopes

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary and concepts related to astronomy and telescopes, based on lecture notes.

Overwhelmingly Large Telescope (OWL)

Planned telescope for the Canary Islands that was never built due to high costs.

Electromagnetic Spectrum

The range of all types of radiation, with each type having its own range of wavelengths.

Visible Radiation

A type of electromagnetic radiation that can be seen by the human eye.

Refracting Telescope

A type of telescope that uses lenses to gather and focus light.

Reflecting Telescope

A type of telescope that uses mirrors to gather and focus light.

Adaptive Optics

Technology used in telescopes to reduce the effects of atmospheric turbulence.

Charge Coupled Device (CCD)

A technology used for capturing images in telescopes.

LIGO

Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory that detects gravitational waves.

The Very Large Telescope (VLT)

A telescope facility in Chile that features four interconnected telescopes.

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)

A space telescope launched to observe infrared and visible light, designed to see back into the early universe.

Light Pollution

The excessive or obtrusive artificial light that can interfere with astronomical observations.

Radio Astronomy

The study of celestial objects at radio wavelengths.

Gravitational Waves

Ripples in spacetime caused by some of the most violent and energetic processes in the universe.

Cassegrain Telescope

A type of reflecting telescope that uses a combination of mirrors to focus light through an eyepiece.

Galileo's Telescope

The first telescope used for astronomical observations, utilizing lenses made around 1600.

Infrared Telescope

A telescope designed to detect infrared radiation, commonly used for observing heat signatures.

Quasar

A massive and distant celestial object that emits exceptionally large amounts of energy.

Tuning Fork Diagram

A graphical representation used in showing different frequency responses in gravitational wave detectors.