i mean,how could they have taken pictures of the galaxies??
2007-07-22 14:07:23 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
How is it you know the name of the Kuiper Belt but you don't know how we have taken photos of other galaxies. The Hubble telescope for one, can photograph at far higher pixel strengths than any other telescope due to its design and the fact that it is in orbit around the Earth and there is no atmosphere to interfere with it. The telescopes here on Earth can also photograph distant galaxies however they are distorted to a point because the Earth's atmosphere gets in the way.
2007-07-22 14:25:48 · answer #1 · answered by speed_demon_1775 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Galaxies are tens to hundreds of thousands of light years across.
Kuiper belt objects are just a few hundred KILOMETERS across.
You need to cultivate a sense of scale. M31 Andromeda galaxy is 2.5 million light years away, but is so large that even from our perspective it covers considerably more space than the full moon, and is an easy object with the naked eye.
On the other hand, all Kuiper belt objects require large telescopes to see, and even then will present just a point of light.
What you are saying is the same as "how come I can see that mountain at 100 kilometers away, when I can't see the color of my friend's eyes at just 50 meters away.
2007-07-22 21:25:51 · answer #2 · answered by nick s 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I've seen galaxies (such as Andromeda) with my naked eye. I have also seen Pluto, but that required an 18" telescope, detailed star charts, and about an hour of seraching with the owner of the 18" telescope — and then I never would have known I was looking at Pluto and not a star unless I had been told that. Kuiper Belt objects are INCREDIBLY faint. In contrast, a galaxy (which is millions of times further away at least) is billions of times more luminous because it consists of billions of starts, not a non-luminous rocky ball of ice like the KBOs.
2007-07-22 21:52:38 · answer #3 · answered by poorcocoboiboi 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Galaxies are easy to photograph (and observe visually) because they're very large and very bright, being made up of billions of bright stars. Kuiper Belt Objects are very small and are lit only by our distant Sun, so are very difficult to photography and next to impossible to observe visually. I've observed Pluto a few times, but that was just about at the limit of my 10" telescope. Yet I've also observed a quasar 3 billion light years away with the same telescope, because it was extremely bright.
2007-07-22 22:39:04 · answer #4 · answered by GeoffG 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
we're able to take pictures by using telescopes. Newer and farther reaching telescopes are being created as technology increases. Today's most powerful telescopes can see deep into the universe. You don't have to be there to get a glimpse of what's there. Of course, the light from those distant galaxies took millions of years to reach us here on earth, so we're actually looking back in time when we see these distant objects. This is why astronomers claim that they'll be able to look back to the beginning of the universe if they could see far enough out to space.
2007-07-22 21:53:04 · answer #5 · answered by Mike R 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We don't have to go there to see pictures - the Hubble telescope and the Spitzer telescope are both able to take long-exposure images (sometimes of several hours for one image) of objects as far away as 11 billion light years.
That's what telescopes are for - to make distant objects look closer and to reveal details (especially with the CCD cameras used today).
2007-07-22 22:52:30 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Galaxies are huge and easily visible from here with the right equipment. Just last Friday night I saw four of them during an observation session with the local astronomical society. The reason you can't see most of them with the unaided eye is that they are just too faint. You don't have to go anywhere to see them, you just need the right equipment.
2007-07-23 07:18:52 · answer #7 · answered by Jason T 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It seems fairly obvious from this question that you are having troubles with perception of space distances and object sizes in deep space.
Consider that I have a giant net up in the air to snag jet aircraft. You with to fly on a commercial jet airliner to London, England. Are you going to be snared in my Giant net? More than likely you will not be caught in my net. Size and distances have a lot to do with it. Check out the Gallery in Hubblesite dot Org when you get a chance. Okay???
2007-07-23 02:55:30 · answer #8 · answered by zahbudar 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Basically it's like zoom lens photography, where you can take photos of things far away, and make them look like you were right next to them when you took the photo.
2007-07-22 21:31:53 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The pictures are from telescopes in space, such as the Hubble
2007-07-22 21:14:32 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋