Due to the recent defunding of scientific research by the president, Donald Trump, I would like to discuss the importance of continuing to fund, develop, and send telescopes into the celestial hemisphere. Telescopes have made significant contributions to astronomy which have facilitated our understanding of the cosmos and how it is that our universe was formed.
Astronomer Galileo Galilei, whom is known as the father of observatory astronomy, was able to make observations on the moon, planets, and the sun because of a telescope. Since then, astronomers have been developing more advanced technology to better understand the universe. Although telescopes can be earth bound, astronomers prefer to send them into space because of the obstruction that our atmosphere causes. According to NASA the Hubble Space Telescope, “orbits 340 miles above Earth’s surface. Its gaze outward lies beyond the distorting effects of the atmosphere, which blurs starlight and blocks some important wavelengths of light from reaching the ground.” (NASA.gov)
Because of Hubble’s data, astronomers have made significant discoveries such as determining the age of the universe, understanding the seasons of other planets, and many more. However, Hubble is limited in its capacity. Not only is it too close to earth to be able to give us a fuller picture of the universe, but it also isn’t able to capture the light of newly forming planets that hide in clouds of dust—this is why it is important that we launch the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). By sending a bigger telescope into space we are allowing astronomers to gain more data from which that can generate new observations and build on our understanding of the universe.
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In addition to the size of the telescopes, each one serves a different purpose. Hubble is not being replaced by the James Webb Space Telescope, but is rather allowing astronomers to have a different perspective, “Webb will primarily look at the Universe in the infrared, while Hubble studies it primarily at optical and ultraviolet wavelengths.” (NASA.gov) Another telescope, Herschel, is at the same distance as Webb, however, the main difference between the two is their wavelength which affects the type of data they collect, “Herschel looked for the extremes, the most actively star-forming galaxies, which emit most of their energy in the far-IR.
Webb will find the first galaxies to form in the early universe, for which it needs extreme sensitivity in the near-IR.” (NASA.gov) These telescopes differentiate in the type of data they are able to collect, but are equally as important to the development of astronomy. Optical telescopes such as Hubble are used to observe the light of objects that are far away, while radio telescopes, such as Arecibo Observatory, record wavelengths, and x-ray telescopes, such as the Chandra X-ray Observatory, which collects images of celestial objects. Combining the data recorded by these telescopes, astronomers are able to develop an understanding of the universe.
I understand that the budget of these space crafts is high, but by understanding the universe we are able to predict the future of our planet—a planet that at the moment is in danger. Although the original budget was estimated at 1 billion dollars, the price has gone up because of the technology that has gone into ensure its success. Although you may feel that the launching of the satellite won’t directly affect you, even if astronomy or the development of science does not interest you, the development of new technologies will impact you and everyone in the world greatly.
