A new kind of radio telescope

I just read about a new kind of radio astronomical telescope that will enable us to see back to the beginning of time. It is being contructed in the Australian outback.
This is truly amazing.
Bob

Interesting, Bob, I’d like to hear more! Sounds like the WMAP satellite stuff ...

Re: New radio telescope

doug,
You’ll find the story at http://www.universetoday.com. Look for “Radio Telescope Will Look Back to the Beginning”. It’s dated July 6th, 2006.
Bob

And what about the new telescope in the canaries owned 90 percent so far by Spain, 5 % by the University of Florida and 5% by another party. It is about to start testing and is optical. I understand it will exceed the Hubble in its ability to look deeply into the universe.
It is supposed to be well over three hundred centimeters in diameter and with all the bells and whistles in operation will see 12 billion years into the past.

WOW

Jim

Re: The new optical telescope in The Canaries

jim.
That certainly is a “WOW”. I’ll have to check that one out. Thanks!
Bob

Just how many planets are there in The Solar System?

The International Astronomical Union will vote next week as to whether or not to raise the number of planets in the Solar System to 12. If the proposal passes it will mean that text books all over the World will have to be rewritten.
At the present time nine objects in The Solar System are recognized as planets. However, not all astronomers agree that there are even that many. The astronomers at the Hayden Planetarium in New York City long ago decided that there are only eight. So you see there has been controversy about this and there will be even more controversy if the IAU decides that there are 12.

Bob

Yes, this is something that CSICOP fellow Neil Tyson has been very adamant about—and I must say, he’s convinced me. Pluto is not a planet. It’s not even a single body, it’s two nearly equal-sized small planetoids, each smaller than many moons. Its orbit is inclined with respect to the other eight planets. Really, it seems right just to call it a larger member of the Kuyper belt .

My guess is that the IAU doesn’t want to take a stand that would ‘demote’ Pluto, especially given the public outcry when the AMNH Planetarium decided to do so.

But that said, in the final analysis this is all just a matter of semantics.

On sunspots, the Chinese were first.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1310/is_1988_Oct/ai_6955852

The thing we Hams (Amateur Radio) love most, but more about that later.

Paul

:D :D :D

Interesting tidbit, Paul. I should really do more reading into early chinese science. Neat stuff. I know the first (at least famous) description and drawings of sunspots in the west is from Galileo. But for that he used a telescope.

[quote author=“Paulhoff”]On sunspots, the Chinese were first.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1310/is_1988_Oct/ai_6955852

Paul

Hello Paul,

Tbat is interesting. Thanks and welcome to these forums.

Bob

NASA decides to service the Hubble Space Telescope again.

NASA has decided to make a final repair visit to the Hubble Space Telescope.
Discovery has been designated as the shuttle for the mission. If all goes well the telescope will continue to operate for seven more years.
The astronauts will install fresh batteries and fix the guidance system. They will also install another camera and a new spectrograph which will upgrade Hubble’s observing capabilities.
The launch is not scheduled before May of 2008.

Bob Reasoner

Let’s hope that works out. There’s every reason to preserve the HST given that it’s already up there ...

One of Hubble’s main telescopes has ceased to function

One of the Hubble Telescope’s main telescopes has ceased to function. It’s the telescope that has produced some ot the best pictures that we have seen thus far. It’s The Advanced Camera for Surveys .  NASA has some doubt that it can be repaired. The next shuttle flight to the HST is scheduled for September 2008 when astronauts will attempt to repair the damaged telescope.

Bob Reasoner