Name: Date: Class Period:

Telescopes From the Ground Up

Introduction
This site covers the history of telescopes in astronomy – from Galileo to Newton and beyond. Explore the
various pages at the site to find the answers for the questions below.

Go to this URL: http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/resources/explorations/groundup/

Click on
We are going to begin with a close up examination of the basics.
Click on “What do telescopes do?”
1. A telescope collects and concentrates ___________________.
2. Why is the amount of light that a telescope collects important?

3. How does a telescope create an image?

4. How did astronomers first record the images seen through their telescopes? How is it done today?

Return to
Click on “What makes a good telescope?”
5. What four qualities make a good telescope?

6. Describe each of the above qualities.

Return to
Click on the link to Galileo’s refracting telescope on the menu you see on
your screen that looks like this.
7. How many lenses did Galileo use to make his telescope?

8. Was this the same or different from the telescope you made in class?

9. What was different about the two lenses Galileo used in his telescope?

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 10. What problems did the shape of Galileo’s lens cause?

Return to
Check out the link to achromatic refractors next.
11. How did telescope builders correct for spherical and chromatic aberration, building on an idea first
proposed by Kepler?

Return to
Click on the link to the Newton’s Reflecting Telescope next.
12. What was Newton’s primary mirror made out of?

13. What is the purpose of both the primary mirror and the secondary mirror? Study the graphic and
write an answer!

Return to the homepage of Telescopes

From the Ground Up.

Please click on the link to Era of

Galileo’s Refractor.

14. When did Galileo make his first

telescope?

15. What were some of the things

he saw through it in our night
sky?

16. Why was Galileo’s telescope called a refracting telescope?

17. Why did Galileo begin making enemies as he shared details about what he was seeing?

18. Whose controversial (at the time!) theory about the universe was Galileo uncovering evidence for?

19. What was this evidence?

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 20. How did the Catholic Church react to Galileo’s findings?

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