A Glimpse of Space: A Look at an Astronomical Innovation from Past to Present
- Akaya
- Apr 14, 2024
- 2 min read
(Source: Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash)
Sometime during the 17th century, Galileo, a renowned scientist and astronomer, designed and developed some of the world’s first working telescopes. Galileo and the invention of his original telescopes were capable of magnifying Earth-bound objects three times larger than what was seen by the naked eye. Eventually, telescopes began to turn skyward. With a little refinement, telescopes eventually developed capabilities of magnifying up to thirty times their view. This new device of the time had allowed us to catch glimpses of the stars, the moon, and other planets in our galaxy, all while answering some impactful questions about the world we live in.
(Source: by Aldebaran S on Unsplash)
Not too long after catching a glimpse of the world beyond our own, Galileo began publishing his findings for the world to see. He wrote about his observations and published his interpretations in his book, “Starry Messenger.” He was able to conclude that the moon is not the perfect sphere the world back then had thought it to be. The moon actually has a similar topology to Earth! He also found that Jupiter has its own moons. Those were just a few of his observations.
Fast forward to the 20th century when the Hubble telescope was launched out into space. With the Hubble telescope, we began to have the means to observe galaxies outside of our own! Just like Galileo’s telescopes, Hubble has helped to make huge impacts on how we view the world. Thanks to Hubble, we now have answers to some of the most burning astrological questions of our own time like: how old is the universe? What is causing the universe to expand? And what other galaxies lie beyond our own sun?
(source: NASA)
Since its launch in 1990, Hubble has made more than 1.6 million discoveries. This is due to its array of scientific instruments, its proximity to Earth's atmosphere, and its capability to view infrared wavelengths that our eyes cannot see. Just like in Galileo’s time, scientists have made cosmic discoveries and published their findings for the world to see. Hubble is so popular that scientists from all around the world have to submit a proposal to use it. Thanks to Hubble, there have been more than 21,000 published scientific papers that used its data. Scientists, astronomers, and telescope makers have certainly all proved that the more we see, the more we will know. And the more we know, the more questions we will have!
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