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Which of the following is always true about images captured with X-ray telescopes?

A) They are always shown with colors that are not the true colors of the objects that were photographed.
B) They always are made with adaptive optics.
C) They show us light with extremely long wavelengths compared to the wavelengths of visible light.
D) They always have very high angular resolution.
E) They are always very pretty.

1 Answer

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Final answer:

Always true about X-ray telescope images is that they are shown in colors that are not the true colors of the objects photographed. These telescopes capture wavelengths outside human vision, hence false colors are used to represent the data visually.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct answer to the question, “Which of the following is always true about images captured with X-ray telescopes?” is A) They are always shown with colors that are not the true colors of the objects that were photographed. X-ray telescopes, such as the Chandra X-ray Observatory, detect wavelengths of light that are outside the range visible to the human eye. Because humans cannot see X-rays, the images captured need to be represented using false colors to convey information about the intensity and energy of the X-ray emissions.

Unlike optical telescopes, which can suffer from atmospheric turbulence affecting the resolution, X-ray telescopes typically operate in space to avoid the absorption and interference from the Earth’s atmosphere. While adaptive optics can correct for atmospheric turbulence for ground-based telescopes, this technology is not pertinent to space-based X-ray telescopes. Therefore, option B is not always true. X-ray wavelengths are also considerably shorter, not longer as mentioned in option C. The angular resolution of a telescope generally improves with the size of the aperture and the operating wavelength; hence, D is not always true either. As for the aesthetic value of such images (option E), it is subjective and not a fact.

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