Where should you put a telescope designed for ultraviolet observations

In a nutshell, ultraviolet astronomy can basically be referred to studying celestial matter which emits ultraviolet radiation. You do not use a traditional telescope to do this since this is far complex and requires a lot of in-depth knowledge. There is one thing though a ton of people are confused and ask about and that is “Where should you put a telescope designed for ultraviolet observations?”

While there is an exact answer to that question, it is also vital that we talk at length about what is ultraviolet astronomy, what an ultraviolet telescope is, and everything in between. So, let’s dive right in!

What Is Ultraviolet Astronomy?

All the matter in the universe is emitting radiation which is in the form of waves or subatomic particles, from all the parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. This electromagnetic spectrum is basically the range of the wavelengths which are produced by the interaction of magnetism and electricity. This electromagnetic spectrum consists of radio waves, light waves, ultraviolet radiation, infrared radiation, gamma rays, and X-rays.

Ultraviolet astronomy can be referred to as the study of the celestial matter which is emitting ultraviolet radiation. These ultraviolet waves are just about short than the violet end which is the shortest wavelength on the spectrum of visible light (more in detail below). This particular branch of astronomy has provided us with more information about the galaxies, the stars (including the sun), the interstellar medium, the solar system, and the quasars.

What Does an Ultraviolet Telescope Do?

Ultraviolet telescopes examine the electromagnetic spectrum’s ultraviolet portion. This portion sits between the visible light and the X-rays.

Ultraviolet radiations are known to have a wavelength of roughly 400nm on the side of the visible light and roughly 10nm on the side of the X-ray. The Earth’s ozone layer is known to block wavelengths which are shorter than 300nm from reaching the telescopes which are ground-based.

To give you a simple answer: you need to put a telescope designed for ultraviolet observations in the Earth’s orbit because the Earth has its own ozone layer. This layer does an effective job at filtering out a majority of the ultraviolet rays.

As such, for an ultraviolet telescope to function correctly, it needs to be placed on a satellite that orbits beyond the atmosphere of the Earth. Since the ozone layer lies at a 12 to 25 miles altitude, the astronomer’s resorted to satellites and rockets from wherein they can make their observations.

Ultraviolet Observatories

As mentioned earlier, the atmosphere of our planet absorbs the ultraviolet light; hence, these ultraviolet telescopes are sent into the space to do their job. Other than just carefully selecting the materials for the filters, an ultraviolet telescope is basically the same thing as the optical telescope. The most fundamental difference between the two is that the ultraviolet telescope needs to be above the atmosphere of the Earth in order to observe the cosmic sources.

One of the most recent and dedicated ultraviolet observatories was the GALEX observatory. This was launched back in 2003, and it shut its operations down a decade later in 2013.

The main goal of this observatory was to observe the star formation’s history in our universe in the ultraviolet wavelengths. The observatory was able to watch a bit over half a billion galaxies which go back to when the universe was roughly about three billion years old.

The UltraViolet and Optical Telescope on Swift and the Hubble Telescope both perform a massive deal of carefully observing these ultraviolet wavelengths. That being said, they are only capable of covering about a portion of the spectrum that the GALEX observatory would observe.

Information Collected by Ultraviolet Telescopes

Several ultraviolet telescopes were launched on spacecraft at the beginning of the 1960s.

• Orbiting Solar Observatories

The very first instruments were the eight Orbiting Solar Observatories which were placed into the Earth’s orbit between the years 1962 and 1975. The satellites aimed to measure the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. All the data which were compiled through these telescopes gave the scientists a broader picture of the solar corona, which is the outermost part of the sun’s atmosphere.

• OAO

The OAO, also known as the Orbiting Astronomical Observatories, was basically designed to provide information on a large variety of subjects. These include a comet, thousands of stars, many galaxies far beyond the Milky Way, and a nova in the constellation Serpus. Between the years 1972 and 1980, it also collected information of several stars and the temperature, its composition, and the structure of the interstellar gas.

• IUE

The most successful ultraviolet satellite was the IUE, also known as the Internation Ultraviolet Explorer that was launched in 1978. This was a joint project by the European Space Agency, Great Britain, and the United States of America.

The IUE was able to study the stars, planets, nebulae, galaxies, comets, and quasars with highly sensitive equipment. It was known to record some highly valuable information from the supernovae and the novae.

The IUE was initially intended to function for roughly five years. However, it went to operate until the 30th of September, 1996. This made it the astronomical satellite that lived the longest.

• EUEV

The IUE was succeeded by the EUEV, also known as the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer. This was launched on the 7th of June, 1992. This was designed to extend the spectral coverage of the IUE by being capable of observing wavelengths that were shorter.

• FUSE

After that, there was the third ultraviolet satellite that was launched on the 24th of June, 1999. This was called the FUSE, also known as the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer. With this satellite, the astronomers were hoping to study higher energy processes in the galaxies and the stars. They also hoped to study the exploring conditions in the universe as they were known to exist shortly only after the big bang.

Conclusion

Other than answering the question “Where should you put a telescope designed for ultraviolet observations?”, we have given you a ton of more information about ultraviolet satellites. These have helped us learn a lot more about celestial objects thanks to being out of the earth’s orbit.

Where is the ultraviolet telescope located?

What telescope can detect ultraviolet light?

Why must a telescope that detects UV waves be placed in space?

Are ultraviolet telescopes in space?