Hubble is failing piece by piece

Bill · 2004-08-07, 02:44 PM

I've been reading about this a bit, and it turns out that there is some logic behind letting Hubble die a natural death.

There is a new generation of computer aided telescope arrays being built in various places around the planet that use lasers and computers to unite two or more telescopes to give them the power of multiple hubbles.

These are ground based telescopes, but they will be as much as a hundred or more times more powerful than the hubble.

Now, as I understand it, most of these are international telescopes, being built in places like the Andes.

They shoot a laser thru the atmosphere, and measurements from the laser let them correct the distortions so that the miles of air above the telescope seem as clear as vacuum.

These telescopes are strong enough that we may be able to study that atmosphere around _planets_, yes, that's planets, around stars hundreds of light years away.

If we find free oxygen around those planets, that will mean we have found life like us somewhere else in the universe.

I love the hubble, but there is more reason than I thought to retire it.

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2004-08-07, 02:44 PM	#3
Bill Selling porn allows me to stay in a constant state of Bliss - ain't that a trip! Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 3,914	I've been reading about this a bit, and it turns out that there is some logic behind letting Hubble die a natural death. There is a new generation of computer aided telescope arrays being built in various places around the planet that use lasers and computers to unite two or more telescopes to give them the power of multiple hubbles. These are ground based telescopes, but they will be as much as a hundred or more times more powerful than the hubble. Now, as I understand it, most of these are international telescopes, being built in places like the Andes. They shoot a laser thru the atmosphere, and measurements from the laser let them correct the distortions so that the miles of air above the telescope seem as clear as vacuum. These telescopes are strong enough that we may be able to study that atmosphere around _planets_, yes, that's planets, around stars hundreds of light years away. If we find free oxygen around those planets, that will mean we have found life like us somewhere else in the universe. I love the hubble, but there is more reason than I thought to retire it.