A telescope is an optical instrument designed to make distant, faint objects appear closer using lenses, mirrors, or a combination of both.

  • They can be classifies as space based telescopes as well as ground based telescopes.
  • Hubble of NASA is an example of space based.

Why ground based telescopes cannot be placed at all locations?

  • Atmospheric distortions and light pollution is the major challenge associated with ground based telescopes. So ground based telescopes are mostly located in places with less external interference like Ladakh.

Space Telescopes of India & World

Ground Based
  • Devasthal Optical Telescope- Aryabhata Research Institute of observational sciences, Nainital.
  • Indian Astronomical Observatory- Ladakh
  • Shaped Antenna measurement of the background Radio Spectrum 3 (SARAS) telescope in Dandiganahalli Lake, Karnataka.
  • Mount Abu InfraRed Observatory (MIRO) – Rajasthan

 
                 Space based(Indian)
  • Astrosat- ISRO- Sun observation.
                 Space based(World)
  • Hubble– NASA & ESA – observes the cosmos in UV , visible and near-IR, from the LEO.
  • Chandra– NASA – detects X-ray emissions from very hot regions of the universe.
  • James Webb–NASA + ESA+ CSA– Observes the cosmos in infrared.
  • Spitzer– NASA– Observe hidden celestial objects.
  • Planck– ESA– Study the Cosmic Microwave Background.
  • Gaia–ESA– Milky Way mapping.
  • Fermi- NASA– Gamma rays detection.
  • TESS- NASA-Exoplanet discovery.
  • EUCLID– ESA-dark matter and dark energy exploration.

 

Source: The Hindu