Ugh, I can't find it! I just need a simple definition of what it is. Thanks.
I think you may well be referring to the technique of several radio telescopes some distance apart being used in such a way to act as a single huge antenna. The Very Large Array in New Mexico is an example of this.
Best Telescopes What are the best telescopes for a 6 year old boy?
I don't want anything expensive. He is into the planets and the moon. I have no clue what is the best telescope to get him. This will be a christmas present for him. thanks
Attached is a talk I co-authored on this subject. (I'm currently the VP for the club ncastro.org - I'm happy to discuss specifics if you email me through the website.)
Most inexpensive scopes have lousy mounts that make them VERY difficult to use/enjoy. The planets that will be decent thru an "inexpensive" telescope are Venus, Mars (during close approaches only - fortunately that's the next few months), Jupiter, Saturn.
Bring your son to public skygazing sessions hosted by a local astronomy club - see if he really likes it. A 6-year old probably can't handle a reflector without help (many untrained adults can't either!). A refractor is maintenance-free. 3 scopes in the $100-$150 range are on oriontelescopes.com - that is the cheapest usable scope, in my opinion. And if he likes astronomy, he will quickly "outgrow" these.
Binoculars are good for moon and learning the sky, plus are useful for general use.
Telescopes Optics What problem are adaptive optics used to correct?
a the opacity of the Earth's atmosphere
b defects in the optics of the telescope
c slight errors in the telescope's mount to compensate for the Earth's rotation
d effects of atmospheric turbulence
e reduce the amount of background noise in a CCD
Adaptive Optics refers to optical systems which adapt to compensate for optical effects introduced by the medium between the object and its image.
d) the turbulence in the air (optical effects introduced by the medium)
Power Astronomy Whats a good title page for my project?
Im doing my project on astronomy and i cant think of a good pharse that is catchy to put on my title page. Ive tried astronomy is knowledge, and power is astronomy but that isnt working for me, can somebody help.
Astronomy question please help 10 points. How much power is the Sun producing in total?
The radiation flux from the Sun is approximately 1000 Watts per square metre at the surface of
the Earth. Starting from this basic observation (and assuming that all quantities given are
averaged over a large wavelength range), answer the following questions. Show all working
and draw diagrams where appropriate.
a) How much power is the Sun producing in total?
b) Spectroscopic measurements show that the surface temperature of the Sun is 5800 K. Use
this information and the answer to part a) to work out the radius of the Sun.
c) The apparent magnitude of the Sun is -26.7 when observed from the Earth. What is the
absolute magnitude of the Sun?
d) Work out the absolute magnitude of a white dwarf star with a surface temperature of 40,000
K and a radius of 6,000 km. Could you see it without a telescope?
e) What would the apparent magnitude of this white dwarf be were it to replace the Sun in our
own Solar system?
Just answering (a) - since that is the question you posted as the header.
If the Sun produces enough to be approximately 1000 Watts/ sq. meter at the distance of the Earth,
then determine the surface area of a sphere with a radius equal to the distance between Earth and the Sun - and multiply by 1000W/m^2
Distance from Sun to Earth =~ 150,000,000 km = 150,000,000,000 meters
Surface area of a sphere = 4*pi*r^2
Surface area of Sphere radius Sun-Earth = 12.6*(1.5x10^11)^2 = 28.3x10^22m^2
Power output of the Sun =~ 2.83 x 10^26 W
Up to you to do diagrams... and the next 4 questions...
