Meaning of OBSERVATORY: MODERN GROUND OBSERVATORIES in the Collier Dictionary

OBSERVATORY: MODERN GROUND OBSERVATORIES

To the article OBSERVATORY

optical observatories. The site for the construction of an optical observatory is usually chosen away from cities with their bright night illumination and smog. Usually this is the top of the mountain, where the layer of the atmosphere is thinner, through which you have to make observations. It is desirable that the air is dry and clean, and the wind is not particularly strong. Ideally, observatories should be evenly distributed over the surface of the Earth so that objects in the northern and southern sky can be observed at any time. However, historically, most of the observatories are located in Europe and North America so the sky northern hemisphere better studied. In recent decades, large observatories have begun to be built in the southern hemisphere and near the equator, from where both the northern and southern skies can be observed. The ancient volcano Mauna Kea on about. Hawaii with a height of more than 4 km is considered the best place in the world for astronomical observations. In the 1990s, dozens of telescopes from different countries settled there.

They helped scientists make some amazing discoveries: the presence of galaxies at the edge of the universe; studying supernovae to determine the expansion rate of the universe, the nature of gamma-ray bursts and, more recently, planets around other stars. From the mule routes used to lift a 60-inch mirror to the top of a mountain to chilly nights, Edwin Hubble, rewriting our knowledge of space, Mount Wilson represents the evolution of the modern observatory and one of history's most important scientific sites. George Ellery Hale, the 60-inch area, no longer used for research, was used to study the spectral classification of stars, which forms the basis of modern astronomy. The 60-inch Hale telescope was the largest in the world 100 years ago, but within 10 years it was replaced by a 100-inch scope next door.

Tower. Telescopes are very sensitive instruments. To protect them from bad weather and temperature changes, they are placed in special buildings - astronomical towers. Small towers are rectangular in shape with a flat retractable roof. Towers of large telescopes are usually made round with a hemispherical rotating dome, in which a narrow slit is opened for observations. Such a dome well protects the telescope from the wind during operation. This is important because the wind sways the telescope and causes the image to shake. The vibration of the ground and the building of the tower also negatively affects the quality of the images. Therefore, the telescope is mounted on a separate foundation, not connected with the foundation of the tower. Inside the tower or near it, a ventilation system for the dome space and an installation for vacuum deposition of a reflective aluminum layer on the telescope mirror, which tarnishes with time, are mounted.

Using a 100-inch Edwin Hubble found that patches of "nebulae" in the sky were actually distant galaxies, that the universe was expanding; and that the rate of this expansion is commensurate with the creation of the Big Bang. Courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library.

Palomar's 200-inch Hale Telescope helped revolutionize modern astronomy - and modern baking. George Ellery Hale, who fell in the making of Palomar since he had the mountain. Edwin Hubble was the first to look through the mirror. Subsequently, the catalog will become the basis for the "Guides" catalog used by the Hubble Space Telescope. Three quarters of a century later, Palomar is still making new discoveries. The resolution exceeds the Hubble Space Telescope twice.

Mount. To aim at the luminary, the telescope must rotate around one or two axes. The first type includes the meridian circle and the transit instrument - small telescopes that rotate around a horizontal axis in the plane of the celestial meridian. Moving from east to west, each luminary crosses this plane twice a day. With the help of a transit instrument, the moments of the passage of stars through the meridian are determined and thus the speed of the Earth's rotation is specified; this is necessary for the accurate time service. The meridian circle allows you to measure not only the moments, but also the place where the star crosses the meridian; this is necessary to create accurate maps of the starry sky.

Galileo Galileo didn't invent the telescope, he probably wasn't even the first to point a telescope at the sky. But his powerful telescope design allowed him to see farther than anyone before, or at least whoever published his findings. His discoveries shook the foundations of Europe, earning him the title "Father of Modern Science".

He was also convicted of heresy for promoting a heliocentric view of the universe. Courtesy of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia. In 18 eventful years, the Hubble Space Telescope lived up to its namesake, one of the greatest astronomers in history. Given his famous fateful birth, exciting open postcards and worldwide famous discoveries, it would be hard to argue that one other scientific instrument has had a wider impact than Hubble.

AT modern telescopes direct visual observation is practically not used. They are mainly used to photograph celestial objects or to register their light with electronic detectors; the exposure sometimes reaches several hours. During this time, the telescope must be accurately aimed at the object. Therefore, with the help of a clock mechanism, it rotates at a constant speed around the clock axis (parallel to the axis of rotation of the Earth) from east to west following the star, thereby compensating for the rotation of the Earth from west to east. The second axis, perpendicular to the clock, is called the declination axis; it serves to point the telescope in the north-south direction. This design is called an equatorial mount and is used for almost all telescopes, with the exception of the largest, for which the alt-azimuth mount turned out to be more compact and cheaper. On it, the telescope follows the luminary, turning simultaneously with variable speed around two axes - vertical and horizontal. This greatly complicates the work of the watch mechanism, requiring computer control.

Arecibo in Puerto Rico

Frank Summers, an astronomer and researcher at the Space Telescope Institute in Baltimore, puts it this way: I often tell viewers what can many of you name a particle accelerator? Or a scanning electron microscope? These are other instruments that have made discoveries on a par with Hubble, but they have not turned it into a folk folk. Perhaps it was a defect in the mirror or its triumphant repair, perhaps it was images of the Pillars of Creation or the Deep Field.

From the history of the observatory

Hubble sampling over the past 18 years: determining the age of the universe; that dark energy is accelerating the expansion of the universe, photographing planets outside our solar system and chemicals in their atmospheres. Hubble has played a huge role in transforming people's visions of the universe.

A refractor telescope has a lens objective. Since rays of different colors are refracted differently in glass, the lens objective is calculated so that it gives a sharp image in the focus in the rays of a single color. Old refractors were designed for visual observation and therefore gave a clear image in the yellow beams. With the advent of photography, photographic telescopes began to be built - astrographs, which give a clear image in blue rays, to which photographic emulsion is sensitive. Later, emulsions appeared that were sensitive to yellow, red, and even infrared light. They can be used for photography with visual refractors.

The idea of the European Southern Observatory was born

It is located about 160 km north of La Serena. It becomes completely isolated and removed from any sources of artificial light and dust. Its history is full of optimism and disappointments, ups and downs, from its beginnings in the 50s to the mid-70s, when the observatory became a reality. The project was meant to be completed within the next ten years and would require an agreement between learned societies or between governments. Some of the most important features of this project described the fact that financial contributions should be proportional to the national income, but only up to a fixed limit.

The image size depends on the focal length of the lens. The 102-cm Yerkes refractor has a focal length of 19 m, so the diameter of the lunar disk at its focus is about 17 cm. The size of the photographic plates of this telescope is 20×25 cm; full moon fits easily on them. Astronomers use glass photographic plates because of their high rigidity: even after 100 years of storage, they do not deform and make it possible to measure the relative position of stellar images with an accuracy of 3 microns, which for large refractors like Yerk's corresponds to an arc of 0.03 "" in the sky .

In addition, the project stated that the observatory should be located in the southern hemisphere and should have a large optical telescope and a Schmidt telescope as an "initial program", allowing for future expansion with any other instrumentation. Southern Hemisphere was an ideal choice, since the most interesting objects of study could be reached from this hemisphere.

South Africa: first choice for an observatory settlement

South Africa in particular was chosen because it had the best astronomical climate known at the time. Three mountains were inspected by helicopter and car: Guatulame, Sinhado and Chinchado North. The latter turned out to be the most interesting, in terms of accessibility, climate, proximity to a flat area that would be used for planting, and government ownership.

A reflecting telescope has a concave mirror as an objective. Its advantage over a refractor is that rays of any color are reflected from the mirror in the same way, providing a clear image. In addition, a mirror lens can be made much larger than a lens lens, since the glass blank for the mirror may not be transparent inside; it can be saved from deformation under its own weight by placing it in a special frame that supports the mirror from below. The larger the diameter of the lens, the more light the telescope collects and the weaker and more distant objects are able to "see". For many years, the 6th reflector of the BTA (Russia) and the 5th reflector of the Palomar Observatory (USA) were the largest in the world. But now at the Mauna Kea Observatory on Hawaii, there are two telescopes with 10-meter compound mirrors and several telescopes with monolithic mirrors with a diameter of 8-9 meters are being built.

Similarly, a small temporary camp was built at La Silla, which included a storage facility, some living quarters, a power plant, and a temporary workshop. The expansion of the fleet of telescopes, not foreseen in the early days, constituted the so-called national telescopes.

Telescopes Photo Galleries

Only a few telescopes are currently in operation. At present, our facilities include two well-established libraries, two conference rooms, an astronomy hall, a teaching laboratory, a cinema hall, a club and a gymnasium. In terms of housing, we have a total of 172 dormitories for all staff, except for 14 hotel rooms, which are mainly used for astronomers and visitors. An example of some of these tools is shown below.

SLR cameras. The disadvantage of reflectors is that they give a clear image only near the center of the field of view. This does not interfere if they study one object. But patrol work, for example, the search for new asteroids or comets, requires photographing large areas of the sky at once. An ordinary reflector is not suitable for this. In 1932, the German optician B. Schmidt created a combined telescope, in which the shortcomings of the main mirror are corrected with the help of a thin lens located in front of it. complex shape- correction plate. The Schmidt camera of the Palomar Observatory acquires an image of a 6x6' region of the sky on a 35×35 cm photographic plate. Another design of a wide-angle camera was created by D.D. Maksutov in 1941 in Russia. It is simpler than the Schmidt camera, since the role of the correction plate in it is played by a simple thick lens - the meniscus.

Australian Astronomical Observatory

It is noteworthy that even without the use of telescopes and other instruments that were developed in Europe, this observatory provided detailed and fairly accurate information about celestial bodies. As we shall see, Jai Sing's biographical information supports this conclusion. But first, let's take a quick look at the instruments of this observatory, which is said to be the oldest of its kind in the world.

Masonic designs as tools. The observatory has four different masonry and stone tools. The most prominent of these is the Samtrath Yantra, or Supreme Instrument, which is "basically equal to hourly sun tea". This is the most important creation of Jai Singh. It consists of a huge stone triangle 70 feet high, 114 feet base and 10 feet wide. The hypotenuse of a triangle 128 feet long is parallel to the Earth's axis and points to the North Pole. On either side of the triangle, or gnomon, is a graduated quadrant indicating hours, minutes, and seconds.

The work of optical observatories. Now more than 100 large observatories operate in more than 30 countries of the world. Usually, each of them independently or in cooperation with others conducts several long-term observation programs.

Astrometric measurements. Large national observatories - the US Naval Observatory, the Royal Greenwich Observatory in the UK (closed in 1998), Pulkovo in Russia, etc. - regularly measure the positions of stars and planets in the sky. This is very delicate work; it is in it that the highest "astronomical" accuracy of measurements is achieved, on the basis of which catalogs of the position and movement of the stars are created, which are necessary for terrestrial and space navigation, to determine the spatial position of stars, to clarify the laws of planetary motion. For example, by measuring the coordinates of stars at intervals of half a year, you can see that some of them experience fluctuations associated with the movement of the Earth in its orbit (the parallax effect). The distance to the stars is determined by the magnitude of this shift: the smaller the shift, the greater the distance. From Earth, astronomers can measure a displacement of 0.01"" (the thickness of a match 40 km away!), which corresponds to a distance of 100 parsecs.

Although the simple sundial has been around for centuries, Jai Singh has developed this basic instrument for measuring time into a precision instrument for measuring declination and other related coordinates of celestial bodies. The other three structures in the observatory are Ram, Jayaprakash and the Mishran Yantras. They were difficult to measure the declination, altitude and azimuth of the sun and stars. Mishra's instrument even indicated when it was noon in various cities around the world.

All of the above instruments except the Mishra fighter were invented by Jai Singh. They were much more complex and functional than any other then in existence in India and led to the development of accurate almanacs and astronomical tables. In design, they were elegant and pleasing to the eye and provided valuable information until the telescope and other inventions made them obsolete. Why is this shiny and scientist man did not include in his astronomical research some of the devices available in Europe, including an optical telescope?

Meteor Patrol. With the help of several wide-angle cameras spaced apart by long distance, continuously photograph the night sky to determine the trajectories of meteors and the possible location of the impact of meteorites. For the first time, these observations from two stations began at the Harvard Observatory (USA) in 1936 and were regularly carried out under the guidance of F. Whipple until 1951. In 1951-1977, the same work was carried out at the Ondrejovskaya Observatory (Czech Republic). Since 1938 in the USSR, photographic observations of meteors have been carried out in Dushanbe and Odessa. Observations of meteors make it possible to study not only the composition of cosmic dust particles, but also the structure of the earth's atmosphere at altitudes of 50–100 km, which are difficult to access for direct sounding.

Yerk Observatory, USA

The answer can be found in the background of the Maharaja and in the history of that time. "Dedicated to the study mathematical science". His father, the Maharaja of Amber, the capital of the Kachavaha Rajput clan, was under the rule of the Mughal powers in Delhi. The young prince was educated in languages such as Hindi, Sanskrit, Persian and Arabic. He was also educated in mathematics, astronomy and martial arts. But one item was closest to the prince's heart. A text from his time states: "Sawai Jai Singh, from the first dawn of reason in his mind and during his progress towards maturity, was wholly devoted to the study of mathematical science."

The meteor patrol received the greatest development in the form of three "ballistic networks" - in the USA, Canada and Europe. For example, the Prairie Network of the Smithsonian Observatory (USA) used 2.5-cm automatic cameras at 16 stations located at a distance of 260 km around Lincoln (Nebraska) to photograph bright meteors - fireballs. Since 1963, the Czech fireball network has developed, which later turned into a European network of 43 stations in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland. Now it is the only operating fireball network. Its stations are equipped with fish-eye cameras that allow photographing the entire hemisphere of the sky at once. With the help of fireball networks, several times it was possible to find meteorites that fell to the ground and restore their orbit before a collision with the Earth.

Soon the young king was summoned by the Moghul Emperor to his court in southern India, where Jai Sing met Jagannatha, a man well versed in mathematics and astronomy. This man later became the chief assistant to the king. Jai Singh was then called to the capital city of Delhi to meet with the new Mogul ruler.

What prompted the Maharaja to build the observatory? Jai Singh realized that almanacs and astronomical charts in India were sadly inaccurate and that little progress had been made in the field of astronomy. Therefore, he decided to create new diagrams that would correspond to the real visible celestial bodies. He also had a desire to make instruments for astronomical observation available to every person dedicated to the study of astronomy. Thus, Jai Singh acquired an extensive library of books from France, England, Portugal and Germany.

Sun observations. Many observatories regularly photograph the Sun. The number of dark spots on its surface serves as an indicator of activity, which periodically increases on average every 11 years, leading to disruption of radio communications, increased auroras and other changes in the Earth's atmosphere. The most important instrument for studying the Sun is the spectrograph. By passing sunlight through a narrow slit at the focus of a telescope and then decomposing it into a spectrum using a prism or diffraction grating, one can find out chemical composition solar atmosphere, the speed of gas movement in it, its temperature and magnetic field. Using a spectroheliograph, you can take photographs of the Sun in the emission line of a single element, such as hydrogen or calcium. Prominences are clearly visible on them - huge clouds of gas flying up above the surface of the Sun.

He even sent the first fact-finding mission from the East to Europe to collect information on astronomy, and he tasked them with returning books and tools. Why did Jai Singh build stone structures when a telescope, micrometer and vernier were used in Europe? And why does he seem to be unaware of the heliocentric discoveries of Copernicus and Galileo?

Mauna Kea Observatory, Hawaii

Poor communication between East and West must bear some of the blame. But this was not the only drawback. The religious climate of the time was also responsible. Brahman scholars refused to go to Europe because crossing the ocean could mean losing one's caste. The European assistants who helped Jiy Singh gather information were mostly Jesuit scholars. Sharma, who wrote a biography of Jai Singh, the Jesuits, along with the Catholic laity, were banned under the threat of the Inquisition to accept the opinion of Galileo and other scholars that the earth revolved around the sun.

Of great interest is the hot rarefied region of the solar atmosphere - the corona, which is usually visible only at moments of complete solar eclipses. However, at some high-altitude observatories, special telescopes have been created - non-eclipsing coronographs, in which a small shutter (" artificial moon") closes the bright disk of the Sun, allowing you to observe its corona at any time. Such observations are carried out on Capri Island (Italy), at the Sacramento Peak Observatory (New Mexico, USA), Pic du Midi (French Pyrenees) and others.

Observations of the Moon and planets. The surface of planets, satellites, asteroids and comets is studied using spectrographs and polarimeters, determining the chemical composition of the atmosphere and features of the solid surface. Very active in these observations are the Lovell Observatory (Arizona), Meudon and Pic-du-Midi (France), and Krymskaya (Ukraine). Although in last years many remarkable results have been obtained with the help of spacecraft ground-based observations have not lost their relevance and annually bring new discoveries.

Star observations. By measuring the intensity of the lines in the spectrum of a star, astronomers determine the content chemical elements and the temperature of the gas in its atmosphere. The position of the lines on the basis of the Doppler effect determines the speed of the star as a whole, and the shape of the line profile determines the speed of gas flows in the atmosphere of the star and the speed of its rotation around the axis. Often in the spectra of stars, lines of rarefied interstellar matter are visible, located between the star and the earthly observer. By systematically observing the spectrum of one star, one can study the oscillations of its surface, establish the presence of satellites and streams of matter, sometimes flowing from one star to another.

Using a spectrograph placed at the focus of the telescope, it is possible to obtain a detailed spectrum of only one star in tens of minutes of exposure. For a mass study of the spectra of stars, a large prism is placed in front of the lens of a wide-angle (Schmidt or Maksutov) camera. In this case, a section of the sky is obtained on a photographic plate, where each image of a star is represented by its spectrum, the quality of which is not high, but sufficient for mass study of stars. Such observations have been carried out for many years at the Observatory of the University of Michigan (USA) and at the Abastumani Observatory (Georgia). Recently, fiber-optic spectrographs have been created: light guides are placed at the focus of the telescope; each of them is installed with one end on the image of a star, and with the other - on the slit of the spectrograph. So for one exposure, you can get detailed spectra of hundreds of stars.

By passing the light of a star through various filters and measuring its brightness, one can determine the color of a star, which indicates the temperature of its surface (the bluer, the hotter) and the amount of interstellar dust lying between the star and the observer (the more dust, the redder the star).

Many stars periodically or randomly change their brightness - they are called variables. Changes in brightness associated with oscillations of the star's surface or with mutual eclipses of the components of binary systems say a lot about internal structure stars. When investigating variable stars, it is important to have long and dense series of observations. Therefore, astronomers often involve amateurs in this work: even eye estimates of the brightness of stars through binoculars or a small telescope are of scientific value. Astronomy enthusiasts often join clubs for joint observations. In addition to studying variable stars, they often discover comets and outbursts of new stars, which also make a significant contribution to astronomy.

Faint stars are studied only with the help of large telescopes with photometers. For example, a telescope with a diameter of 1 m collects 25,000 times more light than the pupil of the human eye. The use of a photographic plate during long exposure increases the sensitivity of the system by another thousand times. Modern photometers with electronic light receivers, such as a photomultiplier tube, an electron-optical converter, or a semiconductor CCD matrix, are ten times more sensitive than photographic plates and make it possible to directly record measurement results in computer memory.

Observations of faint objects. Observations of distant stars and galaxies are carried out using the largest telescopes with a diameter of 4 to 10 m. The leading role in this belongs to the observatories Mauna Kea (Hawaii), Palomarskaya (California), La Silla and Sierra Tololo (Chile), Special Astrophysical Observatory (Russia ). For the mass study of faint objects, large Schmidt cameras are used at the observatories Tonantzintla (Mexico), Mount Stromlo (Australia), Bloemfontein (South Africa), Byurakan (Armenia). These observations make it possible to penetrate most deeply into the Universe and study its structure and origin.

Programs of joint observations. Many observing programs are carried out jointly by several observatories, the interaction of which is supported by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). It unites about 8,000 astronomers from all over the world, has 50 commissions in various areas of science, gathers large Assemblies once every three years, and annually organizes several large symposiums and colloquia. Each commission of the IAU coordinates observations of objects of a certain class: planets, comets, variable stars, etc. The IAU coordinates the work of many observatories in compiling star charts, atlases and catalogs. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (USA) operates the Central Bureau of Astronomical Telegrams, which quickly notifies all astronomers about unexpected events - outbursts of new and supernova stars, the discovery of new comets, etc.

Collier. Collier's Dictionary. 2012

From the history of the observatory

It is difficult even to name the time when the first observatories appeared. Of course, these were primitive structures, but nevertheless, observations of heavenly bodies were carried out in them. The most ancient observatories are located in Assyria, Babylon, China, Egypt, Persia, India, Mexico, Peru and other states. The ancient priests, in fact, were the first astronomers, because they observed starry sky.
An observatory dating back to the Stone Age. It is located near London. This building was both a temple and a place for astronomical observations - the interpretation of Stonehenge as a grand observatory of the Stone Age belongs to J. Hawkins and J. White. Assumptions that this is the oldest observatory are based on the fact that its stone slabs are installed in a certain order. It is well known that Stonehenge was a sacred place of the Druids - representatives of the priestly caste of the ancient Celts. Druids were very well versed in astronomy, for example, in the structure and movement of stars, the size of the Earth and planets, and various astronomical phenomena. About where they got this knowledge, science is not known. It is believed that they inherited them from the true builders of Stonehenge and, thanks to this, they had great power and influence.

Another ancient observatory was found on the territory of Armenia, built about 5 thousand years ago.
In the 15th century in Samarkand, the great astronomer Ulugbek built an outstanding observatory for its time, in which the main instrument was a huge quadrant for measuring the angular distances of stars and other bodies (read about this on our website: http://website/index.php/earth/rabota-astrnom/10-etapi- astronimii/12-sredneverovaya-astronomiya).
The first observatory in the modern sense of the word was the famous museum in Alexandria arranged by Ptolemy II Philadelphus. Aristillus, Timocharis, Hipparchus, Aristarchus, Eratosthenes, Geminus, Ptolemy and others achieved unprecedented results here. Here, for the first time, instruments with divided circles began to be used. Aristarchus installed a copper circle in the plane of the equator and with its help observed directly the times of the passage of the Sun through the equinoxes. Hipparchus invented the astrolabe (an astronomical instrument based on the principle of stereographic projection) with two mutually perpendicular circles and diopters for observations. Ptolemy introduced quadrants and installed them with a plumb line. The transition from full circles to quadrants was, in fact, a step backwards, but the authority of Ptolemy kept quadrants on observatories until the time of Römer, who proved that full circles made observations more accurately; however, the quadrants were completely abandoned only in early XIX century.

The first observatories of the modern type began to be built in Europe after the invention of the telescope in the 17th century. The first large state observatory - parisian. It was built in 1667. Along with quadrants and other instruments of ancient astronomy, large refracting telescopes were already used here. In 1675 opened Greenwich Royal Observatory in England, on the outskirts of London.
There are more than 500 observatories in the world.

Russian observatories

The first observatory in Russia was the private observatory of A.A. Lyubimov in Kholmogory, Arkhangelsk region, opened in 1692. In 1701, by decree of Peter I, an observatory was created at the Navigation School in Moscow. In 1839, the Pulkovo Observatory near St. Petersburg was founded, equipped with the most advanced instruments, which made it possible to obtain high-precision results. For this, the Pulkovo Observatory was named the astronomical capital of the world. Now there are more than 20 astronomical observatories in Russia, among them the Main (Pulkovo) Astronomical Observatory of the Academy of Sciences is the leading one.

Observatories of the world

Among foreign observatories, the largest are Greenwich (Great Britain), Harvard and Mount Palomar (USA), Potsdam (Germany), Krakow (Poland), Byurakan (Armenia), Vienna (Austria), Crimean (Ukraine), etc. Observatories of various countries share the results of observations and research, often work on the same program to develop the most accurate data.

The device of observatories

For modern observatories, a characteristic view is the building of a cylindrical or polyhedral shape. These are towers in which telescopes are installed. Modern observatories equipped with optical telescopes located in closed domed buildings or radio telescopes. The light radiation collected by telescopes is recorded by photographic or photoelectric methods and analyzed to obtain information about distant astronomical objects. Observatories are usually located far from cities, in climatic zones with little cloud cover and, if possible, on high plateaus, where atmospheric turbulence is negligible and infrared radiation absorbed by the lower atmosphere can be studied.

Types of observatories

There are specialized observatories that work according to a narrow scientific program: radio astronomy, mountain stations for observing the Sun; some observatories are associated with observations made by astronauts from spacecraft and orbital stations.
Most of the infrared and ultraviolet range, as well as X-rays and gamma rays of cosmic origin, are inaccessible to observations from the Earth's surface. In order to study the Universe in these rays, it is necessary to take observation instruments into space. Until recently, extra-atmospheric astronomy was unavailable. Now it has become a rapidly developing branch of science. The results obtained with space telescopes, without the slightest exaggeration, turned over many of our ideas about the Universe.
The modern space telescope is a unique set of instruments developed and operated by several countries for many years. Thousands of astronomers from all over the world take part in observations at modern orbital observatories.

The picture shows the project of the largest infrared optical telescope at the European Southern Observatory 40 m high.

The successful operation of a space observatory requires the joint efforts of a variety of specialists. Space engineers prepare the telescope for launch, put it into orbit, monitor the power supply of all instruments and their normal functioning. Each object can be observed for several hours, so it is especially important to keep the orientation of the satellite orbiting the Earth in the same direction so that the axis of the telescope remains aimed directly at the object.

infrared observatories

To carry out infrared observations, a rather large load has to be sent into space: the telescope itself, devices for processing and transmitting information, a cooler that should protect the IR receiver from background radiation - infrared quanta emitted by the telescope itself. Therefore, in the entire history of space flight, very few infrared telescopes have operated in space. The first infrared observatory was launched in January 1983 as part of the joint American-European project IRAS. In November 1995, the European Space Agency launched the ISO infrared observatory into low Earth orbit. It has a telescope with the same mirror diameter as IRAS, but more sensitive detectors are used to detect radiation. A wider range of the infrared spectrum is available for ISO observations. Currently, several more projects of space infrared telescopes are being developed, which will be launched in the coming years.
Do not do without infrared equipment and interplanetary stations.

ultraviolet observatories

Ultraviolet radiation from the sun and stars is almost completely absorbed ozone layer our atmosphere, so UV quanta can only be detected in the upper layers of the atmosphere and beyond.
For the first time, an ultraviolet reflecting telescope with a mirror diameter (SO cm) and a special ultraviolet spectrometer were launched into space on the joint American-European satellite Copernicus, launched in August 1972. Observations on it were carried out until 1981.
Currently, work is underway in Russia to prepare for the launch of a new ultraviolet telescope "Spektr-UV" with a mirror diameter of 170 cm. observations with ground-based instruments in the ultraviolet (UV) part of the electromagnetic spectrum: 100-320 nm.
The project is headed by Russia and included in the Federal Space Program for 2006-2015. Russia, Spain, Germany and Ukraine are currently participating in the project. Kazakhstan and India are also showing interest in participating in the project. Institute of Astronomy RAS - head office scientific organization project. The head organization for the rocket and space complex is the NPO named after. S.A. Lavochkin.
The main instrument of the observatory is being created in Russia - a space telescope with a primary mirror 170 cm in diameter. The telescope will be equipped with high and low resolution spectrographs, a long slit spectrograph, as well as cameras for high-quality imaging in the UV and optical regions of the spectrum.
In terms of capabilities, the VKO-UV project is comparable to the American Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and even surpasses it in spectroscopy.
WSO-UV will open up new opportunities for planetary research, stellar, extragalactic astrophysics and cosmology. The launch of the observatory is scheduled for 2016.

X-ray observatories

X-rays convey information to us about powerful cosmic processes associated with extreme physical conditions. The high energy of X-ray and gamma quanta makes it possible to register them "by the piece", with an accurate indication of the time of registration. X-ray detectors are relatively easy to manufacture and light in weight. Therefore, they were used for observations in the upper atmosphere and beyond with the help of high-altitude rockets even before the first launches. artificial satellites Earth. X-ray telescopes were installed at many orbital stations and interplanetary spaceships. In total, about a hundred such telescopes have been in near-Earth space.

gamma-ray observatories

Gamma radiation is closely adjacent to X-rays, so similar methods are used to register it. Very often, telescopes launched into near-Earth orbits simultaneously investigate both X-ray and gamma-ray sources. Gamma rays convey to us information about the processes occurring inside atomic nuclei, and about transformations elementary particles in space.
The first observations of cosmic gamma sources were classified. In the late 60s - early 70s. The United States launched four military satellites of the Vela series. The equipment of these satellites was developed to detect bursts of hard X-ray and gamma radiation that occur during nuclear explosions. However, it turned out that most of the recorded bursts are not associated with military tests, and their sources are located not on Earth, but in space. Thus, one of the most mysterious phenomena in the Universe was discovered - gamma-ray flashes, which are single powerful flashes of hard radiation. Although the first cosmic gamma-ray bursts were recorded as early as 1969, information about them was published only four years later.

Modern astronomical observatories. Meaning of observatory: modern land-based observatories in the Collier Dictionary. Arecibo in Puerto Rico