The Electromagnetic Spectrum and the Tools of Modern Astronomy

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The Electromagnetic Spectrum and the Tools of
Modern Astronomy
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The Electromagnetic Spectrum

• The electromagnetic spectrum is a list of
  electromagnetic waves placed in order of
  increasing energy.

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Tools of Modern Astronomy

• Astronomers use tools that focus different types
  of electromagnetic energy to study distant
  objects in space.

What are these tools called?
Telescopes
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Radio Wave Telescopes
Worlds Largest Radio Telescope Arecibo Facility
in Puerto Rico measures 1000 feet across, 167
feet deep, and 20 acres.
Can we hear radio waves?
No, radios convert electromagnetic radiation to
sound energy we can hear.
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Infrared Telescopes
The United Kingdom Infrared Telescope in Hawaii.

How does your body interpret infrared radiation?
Heat
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Visible Light Telescopes
The Hubble Telescope is a light telescope that
floats in space!
Why would Hubble Telescope pictures be clearer
than ones taken from Earths surface?
There is no atmosphere to look through.
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Ultraviolet Telescopes
The Hopkins ultraviolet telescope being released
by the Space Shuttle.
Why would an ultraviolet telescope need to be in
space?
Earths atmosphere blocks ultraviolet radiation.
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X-Ray Telescopes
The Chandra X-Ray Telescope
What else do we use x-rays for?
Medical diagnosing like to see if you have a
broken bone.
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Gamma Ray Telescopes
The gamma-ray telescope on Mt. Hopkins, Arizona.
Besides stars, what else emits gamma-rays?
Nuclear Explosions.
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Review Questions

• What is the electromagnetic spectrum?
• What do telescopes focus?
• Make a list of all six types of electromagnetic
  radiation we went over today.
• Why is the Hubble telescope so good at taking
  clear pictures?
• How does our body interpret infrared radiation?

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Resources

• http//theclayvilles.typepad.com/a_moment_in_the_w
  orld_of_/images/student_raising_hand.jpg
• http//www.aoc.nrao.edu/emomjian/ao002.jpg
• http//xpda.com/junkmail/junk166/jcmt1.jpg
• http//hubblesite.org/
• http//apod.nasa.gov/
• http//www.scienceclarified.com/scitech/images/lst
  s_0001_0001_0_img0023.jpg
• http//www.noao.edu/noao/staff/matheson/telescope/
  gamma-ray_telescope_1_sm.jpg
• http//www.juliantrubin.com/encyclopedia/astronomy
  /radio_astronomy.html
• http//www2.ifa.hawaii.edu/newsletters/article.cfm
  ?a40n1
• http//chandra.harvard.edu/press/07_releases/press
  _121707.html
• http//www.fas.org/irp/imint/docs/rst/Sect20/A6.ht
  ml

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Radio telescope picture of Milky Way. The arrow
points at a supernova.
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An infrared telescope image of Jupiter
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A Hubble Telescope picture of galaxies.
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An ultraviolet telescope picture of coronal loops
on the Suns surface.
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A X-ray telescope picture of a black hole.
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A Gamma-ray telescope captures the sequence of an
exploding star.