How Telescopes Changed our Understanding of the Universe

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Slide 1

How Telescopes Changed our Understanding of the Universe

STScI and NASA

Slide 2

Before Telescopes

We only had our eyes . . .

and a variety of measuring instruments.

Slide 3

Is Earth the

center of

the universe?

How far are

the stars?

What are they

made of?

Is there more

than one

galaxy?

Did the

universe

have a

beginning?

Are there

other planets

outside of

our solar

system?

Is the

Solar System

at the

center of

the Galaxy?

And we had many questions…

Slide 4

Is Earth the

center of

the universe?

Copernicus said “Sun”

Aristotle said “Earth”

Big Question 1: Is Earth or Sun at the center?

Slide 5

Galileo observes Venus

Earth-centered System

Sun-centered System

Used with Permission. Copyright Penn State University.

Venus

phases

revealed!

(Play Optional Movies)

Slide 6

Big Question 2: How far away are the stars?

How far

away

are the

stars?

M34 image courtesy of Glenn Spielgelman

Slide 7

Parallax if stars were ~5000 times closer

Courtesy of David Nash, www.astronexus.com

Slide 8

Parallax if stars were ~5000 times closer

Courtesy of David Nash, www.astronexus.com

Slide 9

Your eyes marking Earth’s Orbit

Slide 10

Background of stars

Courtesy of David Nash, www.astronexus.com

Slide 11

Distance to the stars revealed!

Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel

Königsberg Observatory

1838

Slide 12

Big Question 3: What are the stars made of?

What

are the

stars

made of?

Slide 13

Konigsburg Heliometer

Fraunhofer

1814

Studying the Rainbow

Sun

Courtesy of Dr. John Beck

Slide 14