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The main reason that Hubble Space Telescope is more powerful than ground-based telescopes for many astronomical studies is that

a. It can observe x-ray and gamma ray light as well as visible light.
b. It doesn't have to stop observing during the day.
c. It is closer to the stars.
d. It has a larger mirror than any ground-based telescope
e. It uses CCDs instead of photographic film
f. Its images are not blurred by the Earth's atmosphere.

1 Answer

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Final answer:

The Hubble Space Telescope's main advantage over ground-based telescopes is the absence of atmospheric blurring, allowing it to observe ultraviolet, X-ray, and gamma-ray wavelengths and provide clearer images.

Step-by-step explanation:

The main reason that the Hubble Space Telescope is more powerful than ground-based telescopes for many astronomical studies is that its images are not blurred by the Earth's atmosphere. Earth's atmosphere can obstruct observations at certain wavelengths, including ultraviolet, X-ray, and gamma-ray, which can only be made accurately from above the atmosphere. The Hubble Space Telescope, being above the atmosphere, can observe in these wavelengths without the distortions caused by atmospheric turbulence. This is a significant advantage over ground-based telescopes, which encounter atmospheric seeing issues such as image blurring and twinkling of the stars, limiting the level of detail they can observe.

Even though the Hubble Space Telescope can observe ultraviolet and visible light and operates continuously without being affected by the day-night cycle, these are not the primary reasons for its superior observational capabilities. Proximity to stars or the size of its mirror also do not constitute the core advantage, since ground-based telescopes can have large mirrors as well. Additionally, the Hubble does use CCDs (charge-coupled devices), but this technology is also utilized by modern ground-based telescopes, making it a non-distinctive factor.

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