Telescopes and Detectors
Telescopes and the Discovery of the Universe
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Click for full resolution Subaru image             Click for full resolution HST image

Space telescopes are not hindered by the atmosphere

Here are two images of the central part of the Orion Nebula. The 8.2 meter Subaru Telescope, on the sumit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii, took the image on the left in 1999. The 2.5 metre Hubble Space Telescope took the image on the right, at about the same time. Although its mirror is much smaller than Subaru's, the HST is unhindered by atmosphere and its image captures much finer detail.

Nevertheless, there is much still to be discovered from ground based observatories. The Subaru telecope's infrared detectors have captured unprecedented views of processes occuring deep inside the molecular clouds of the Orion Nebula. More...