How do space telescopes focus on galaxies without lenses you can touch?
Quick Answer
They use precisely shaped mirrors or specialized optics to gather and focus light. In orbit, they avoid much of Earth’s atmospheric distortion, giving them much sharper images.
The Full Story
Space telescopes collect light with large mirrors or optical systems similar in principle to ground-based telescopes, but they are placed above Earth’s atmosphere. That allows them to observe without atmospheric blurring, absorption, or much light pollution. The Hubble Space Telescope, launched in 1990, uses a 2.4-meter primary mirror, while the James Webb Space Telescope uses a 6.5-meter segmented mirror optimized for infrared light. Space telescopes can study objects that are too faint, too distant, or invisible at certain wavelengths from the ground. Their instruments often observe ultraviolet, infrared, X-ray, or other bands that Earth’s atmosphere blocks.
Key Facts
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