difference between observing the universe from moon and a low earth orbiting observatory?

Question

I want to write an essay on this topic of about 2000words I know it will be tough to type the whole essay but please help

Answer 1

Biggest difference is that one problem we have observing from earth is the atmosphere and weather. Observatories are normally built as high as possible to reduce the distance of looking through the atmosphere, but observing from the moon would always offer a perfectly clear view.

Answer 2

There are advantages & disadvantages to both. On the moon, the lunar gravity is perfect for astonomers, because the lower weight won't warp optics, yet a person would still be able to have the advantage of gravity. In space, there'd be no gravity, and no warping of optics, however, it would need to be a vibration-free environment (meaning, nobody else can be on board), because that would damage the viewing of distant objects.

A low-earth orbiting scope has the advantage of never having a "day" to contend with - on Earth, a star can only be seen for maybe 8 hours, on the moon, it could be seen for maybe 14 days, but in space, you can (depending on your orbit) continue to stare at a star for as long as you need.

The moon would also require visits to replenish equipment & supplies, which is quite an undertaking. The Earth Orbiting scope wouldn't need the complex Earth/Moon transfer system or landing system.

All in all... the orbiting scope takes the prize. UNLESS.... you're talking a radio telescope. THEN - place it on the far side of the moon, and that would block all the Earth "noise" that radio astronomers are constantly having to deal with. And, would also have to contend with in low Earth orbit also.

In that case, the Moon wins.

Answer 3

A lunar observatory could focus on one spot for an entire lunar night (24 earth days) without having to be shielded from sunlight.

Some day, we will be able to construct a very large telescope from raw materials available on the moon. This will save the cost of transporting materials from Earth. Of course it will be necessary to transport a lot of stuff from Earth to get the mining and manufacturing base operational.

Answer 4

Hi. A radio telescope could be made much larger and would be shielded from the Earth's emissions. Would be hard to service. LEO would have the same problem as Hubble. Going in and out of darkness and daylight causes some thermal effects on the structure.

Answer 5

The LEO platform could be manipulated to change the views, turned on its axis, the whole X.Y.Z thing. The view from the moon would be static to wherever the equipment was.