If I bought a telescope from walmart would it be good enough to give me a good view of astronauts doing a space walk? could I read the writings on the space shuttle with it?
2007-10-08 16:10:27 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Even from Earth it is possible to see some details of the Station, such as the solar panels and even the Station's robotic arm, but you will need some more powerful equipment.
John Locker from England sent us this video (left) which was captured using a webcam together with an 8 inch telescope.
2007-10-08 17:30:12 · update #1
http://www.esa.int/esaHS/SEMY46XAIPE_iss_0.html
2007-10-08 17:32:08 · update #2
Even the largest telescopes on earth would not be able to do this!
The first issue you run into is that the space shuttle and international space station orbit the Earth at about 17,500 miles per hour, making one full orbit in about 90 minutes. If you are standing on the earth just after sunset and the shuttle is flying overhead, and if its dark where you are on earth, but the area above you is still light (just after sunset or just before sunrise) the shuttle will be visible to the unaided eye very easily and will make a full transit of the sky in around 2 minutes. This is a VERY fast moving object in the sky and very large telescopes just cant move that fast to track it. They are built to look at objects and hold their positions very still and be very precise at pointing. Smaller telescopes can move quickly (the military uses small telescopes to track satellites and missiles and things) but they are generally very expensive.
The next issue that you're going to run into is that you're trying to see people who are around 250 miles away. That would be the same as being in San Diego, California and using a telescope to see someone in Phoenix, Arizona! (Or Houston, TX to New Orleans, or Washington DC to Columbus, OH) Thats a very big distance! Even with a telescope large enough to have that kind of theoretical resolution, the atmosphere is in the way and distorts everything.
So, again, this is absolutely NOT POSSIBLE and probably never will be. Not with any telescope, from walmart or otherwise.
2007-10-08 17:12:26 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
No. It requires a good quality computer-controlled telescope to capture an image of the whole shuttle or ISS, but details as small as an astronaut are not resolvable. The minimum scope for this sort of image is probably an 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain with computer control, which will cost at least $2000, and is not sold in stores like Wal-Mart, only in serious telescope stores.
2007-10-09 02:43:17 · answer #2 · answered by GeoffG 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It takes a bit more than a Walmart telescope to observe the shuttle or ISS in orbit. It can be done with amateur equipment, but you need a computer-controlled mount capable of tracking rapidly across the sky. Even so, the limitations of optics and atmosphere will probably keep you from seeing individual astronauts or reading the lettering on the shuttle. This site will give you some idea of what you can make out of the ISS:
http://www.esa.int/esaHS/SEMY46XAIPE_iss_0.html
2007-10-08 16:37:13 · answer #3 · answered by injanier 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
No, and it's not the size of the telescope that's limiting you here so much as the fact that the space station is moving very fast from our point of view on the Earth. It's not like tracking a star - more like trying to track a plane. Telescopes are not equipped to do that, sorry.
2007-10-08 16:14:56 · answer #4 · answered by eri 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Astronauts do not work or shop at Walmart, just a joke. No, I've tried seeing minute features on the moon, with such a telescope. It's interesting but I don't think even 300x would do it. Also, there is so little contrast involved between their garb and the moon's surface, you know.............
2007-10-08 16:39:57 · answer #5 · answered by te144 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It wouldn't really matter. He or she would be the one conflicted as life outside of Earth should not be possible. The astronaut selected would have to be a non-fundamentalist and a scientist (as most astronauts are these days. I could imagine that Earth's religions become quite puny should such an event occur. Ironically, what if the aliens tried to force their religion on us? How would you feel? Like us?
2016-04-07 22:34:20 · answer #6 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If the shuttle was in the WalMart parking lot and the astronauts were doing the moon walk in front of it, you'd be able to see that -- assuming of course it was a clear day.
2007-10-08 16:14:04 · answer #7 · answered by Craig R 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Definitely not. A telescope with such power to see such detail from Walmart would be amazing and would cost a lot...
2007-10-08 16:13:16 · answer #8 · answered by lollerskates 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I take an astronomy class and someone in my class asked my teacher a question similar to yours. he asked that if we buy a $100 telescope would u be able to see astronauts and my teacher was like "no you would have to buy something much more expensiver than that" i guess that the cheapest telescope is about $100. you wouldn't be able to see much with it.
2007-10-08 16:49:02 · answer #9 · answered by JC 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
NOOOOOO way! Its a Walmart Telescope. Lmao. You could go to a NASA observatory or sumthin.
2007-10-08 16:17:41 · answer #10 · answered by Eric X 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋