Hobbies And Interests
The Hubble
The Hubble Space Telescope orbits Earth every 97 minutes. Since completion in 1990 it remains the most advanced telescope used by NASA. Given Hubble's location above the atmosphere, there are 25 solar panels powering the telescope. The location sensor guides the lens to the subject and allows astronomers to measure distances between stars and objects. Telescopes do not magnify the subject; rather they collect great amounts of light in sustained time.
Light
The telescope relies on mirrors that catch and pass light through several instruments. Minimal light and vast distances in space require considerable estimation. Light is reflected into a secondary mirror that is guided by the primary tool. The Hubble detects various sources of light: near-ultraviolet, visible and infrared. Wavelengths render a "fingerprint" of the object, revealing its temperature, chemical composition, density and even motion.
Ultraviolet
The same device that hunts black holes in the Hubble measures ultraviolet light. The Spectograph isolates over 50 filters of spectral lines. Lens sensitivity is crucial when distant objects have narrow visibility. In the way prisms separate light, the Spectrograph distinguishes colors. Hubble's other spectrograph sees exclusively in ultraviolet light, the Goddard High Resolution Spectograph.
Infrared Light
A telescope's Spectrometer measures infrared light, recognized by humans as heat. The colors illuminating the nebula are the result of an infrared scan. The device observes deep space as well as dust veiling celestial objects like nebulae. Blue represents wavelengths at heightened frequency. Green and red are essentially emitted from microns in the interstellar dust.