Telescopes are built in mountains to eliminate light pollution and minimize the distorting effect of the atmosphere. Light pollution and atmospheric distortion are the two most problematic things for astronomers and the optical telescopes they use, so building the telescope on the peak of a mountain lessens these interferences as much as possible. Ever since … Read more
Unlike traditional lenses, an aspheric eyepiece does not have a spherical surface. This non-spherical surface is able to correct aberrations, often leading to more improved and cheap optical results. Aspheric eyepieces are often used in glasses, telescopes, and other optical objects as a result. Whether you are a fan of telescopes or need eyeglasses yourself, … Read more
When a celestial body is tidally locked to another, the time it takes to rotate around that other body is equal to the time it takes to rotate once upon its own axis. In other words, a day and an entire year are equal in length. This phenomenon is caused by gravitational forces. A good … Read more
Radio telescopes are a marvel of astronomical technology. They can view things we could never dream of seeing with our own eyes. Their only downfall is how extremely large they tend to be, sometimes spanning multiple miles. Radio telescopes are so large because the wavelengths they receive, radio waves, are so much larger than the … Read more
The difference between a white hole and a black hole is the direction space-time is flowing. Space-time flow towards a black hole’s event horizon, whereas space-time flow away from a white hole’s event horizon. Since the two entities are opposite and opposing, you might think that if the two collided, they would cancel each other … Read more
The main difference between a black hole and a wormhole is where they physically end. Black holes come to a point of extreme density called a singularity from which nothing can escape – not even wavelengths of light. A wormhole has two open ends which hypothetically connect two different points in time and space. If … Read more
When you think of a telescope, you’re probably thinking of the most common definition of an optical telescope. An optical telescope is an instrument purpose-built to view faraway objects, especially those in space, using an arrangement of mirrors or lenses to make the objects appear much closer than they really are. If you ever owned … Read more
If you’re just getting into the world of amateur astronomy, you might be a bit inundated with the myriad of different options available in terms of telescopes. Right off the bat, you’ll have to choose whether you want a reflecting, refracting, or catadioptric telescope, and within each of these three main telescope types, there are … Read more
As an amateur astronomer, you might be overwhelmed when you discover the sheer amount of different telescopes available to you. There are three main types of telescopes to choose from (refracting telescopes, reflecting telescopes, and catadioptric telescopes), and within these three main types, there are dozens of different subtypes. Maksutov-Cassegrain and Dobsonian telescopes are two … Read more
Snowball Earth, the period of the planet’s history during which it experienced a total freeze over of its surface, is thought to have been caused by a rapid decrease in sunlight. This decrease in sunlight, though not entirely explained, could have forced the planet into an extreme icy state, covering the Earth in a sheet … Read more