Question

the hubble space telescope has an aperture of 2.4 m and focuses visible light (400-700 nm). the arecibo radio telescope in puerto rico is 305 m (1000 ft) in diameter (it is built in a mountain valley) and focuses radio waves of wavelength 75 cm.

Answer 1

The Hubble and Arecibo telescopes served different purposes in astronomy due to their differing capabilities and operated wavelengths. Arecibo had a larger diameter but was decommissioned after being damaged in 2020. New telescopes are under development to further explore the universe.

Step-by-step explanation:

Comparison of Hubble and Arecibo Telescopes

The Hubble Space Telescope and the Arecibo Radio Telescope represent two very different types of astronomical instruments.

Hubble has an aperture of 2.4 meters and is designed to focus visible light in the 400-700 nanometer wavelength range. In contrast, Arecibo had a massive 305-meter diameter and was equipped to detect radio waves, such as those with a wavelength of 75 centimeters.

While Hubble can resolve finer details due to its shorter operating wavelength, Arecibo was capable of detecting different kinds of information carried by longer-wavelength radio waves, which Hubble could not.

It was a significant instrument for astronomy, especially for radar astronomy, due to its sheer size and the capability of its 305-meter diameter dish to focus radio waves.

This dish was the largest curved focusing dish in the world before decommissioning. It had a poorer diffraction limit due to the longer wavelengths it focused compared to Hubble's capacity for visible light wavelengths.

Significant advancements in astronomy are ongoing, with greater, more sensitive telescopes being constructed, like the James Webb Space Telescope and FAST in China, which will allow for the observation of phenomena not visible to instruments like Hubble or Arecibo.

These new observatories will enable scientists to look farther into space and further back in time to understand the origins and evolution of the universe in greater detail.

Answer 2

The Hubble Space Telescope observes in visible light with a 2.4-m aperture while the Arecibo Radio Telescope, which had a 305-m diameter, focused on radio waves; Arecibo's resolution was poorer due to longer wavelengths. New telescopes like the James Webb and China's FAST continue to expand astronomical observations.

Step-by-step explanation:

Understanding the Arecibo Radio Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope

The Hubble Space Telescope and the Arecibo Radio Telescope are instruments designed to observe the universe, but they operate in different spectral ranges.

The Hubble Telescope has a 2.4-m aperture and observes in the visible light spectrum (400-700 nm), while the Arecibo Telescope, which had a huge 305-m diameter, was used to observe radio waves, notably with a frequency that corresponded to a 75 cm wavelength.

However, due to its large diameter, the Arecibo's angular resolution was not as fine as Hubble's, given the much longer wavelengths it detected. The Arecibo Telescope was instrumental in radar astronomy as well as in the study of radio waves from various cosmic sources.

While the Hubble Space Telescope continues to provide invaluable visible light observations of the cosmos, including detailed observations of objects such as the Moon, the Arecibo Telescope was decommissioned following significant damage in 2020.

Newer instruments, such as the James Webb Space Telescope and the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) in China, are continuing to push the boundaries of space observation, each with its unique capabilities.