Exam 6: Astronomical Instruments

Of the following, which has the highest resolution (ability to make out fine detail):

When the twin Keck telescopes were built in the 1990's, what distinguished them from other very large telescopes of the time?

At the largest and most modern astronomical observatories on Earth today, which of the following regularly happens to the image formed by the telescope?

The earliest telescopes used by astronomers were:

The most important function of an astronomical telescope is to:

The first x-ray telescope capable of forming images of x-ray source was called:

An astronomer who is observing visible light from a glowing cloud of gas in space uses an instrument which contains a grating with thousands of grooves on its surface. What will this instrument allow our astronomer to do?

A graduate student is trying to follow the weather on Jupiter for her PhD thesis. To see the big weather patterns in the upper atmosphere of the planet, she needs to have excellent resolution. What type of telescope would be best for her to use?

The first radio telescope was built in the 1930's by

Which of the following is NOT an advantage that the Hubble Space Telescope has over large telescopes on Earth?

Which of the following is not an advantage that a reflector telescope has over a refractor telescope?

When a knowledgeable amateur astronomer tells you that she has a 14-inch telescope, what does the number 14 refer to?

Which of the following types of telescopes can be used ONLY above the Earth's atmosphere?

The two regions of the electromagnetic spectrum where the Earth's atmosphere is transparent (radiation can get in) are visible light and:

Which of the following is NOT a detector of radiation from space that astronomers have used?

To overcome the problems that blur images and don't provide the best resolution from Earth, astronomers have started using flexible mirrors that change shape many times each second. This technique is called:

When they build big new (visible -light) telescopes, astronomers want to put them in places where they will get the best views of the sky. Which of the following is not an important part of how astronomers select places for new telescopes?"

What type of telescope can be used routinely on the surface of the Earth during the DAY?

Radio telescopes of modest size can't make out as much detail (have a lower resolution) than visible light telescopes. How do astronomers overcome this limitation?

The U.S. has plans to build a 30-meter telescope, while the Europeans are thinking about 39-meter telescope. What technological innovation allows astronomers to be thinking about telescopes with that large an aperture?