You are here

Telescopes and Modern Observatories

A telescope is an optical instrument that gathers and focuses light into a camera, CCD, spectrograph, or an astronomer’s eye. Two major types of telescopes dominate astronomy: reflectors and refractors. Many of the world’s largest telescopes are housed at observatories: The entire complex of buildings, telescopes, equipment, and staff involving scientific astronomical observations. Small observatories might consist of just one telescope situated in a dome, one instrument and computer, and one observer. McDonald Observatory is an example of a major observatory, and consists of five major telescope in five different domes, numerous instruments, computers, living quarters, outbuildings, astronomers, and engineers.

Resources

Astronomers and Observatories June 10, 2010

Publicly Accessible Telescope Viewing May 14, 2010

Radio Programs

PRIzM The challenges of radio astronomy December 3, 2020

Post-War Astronomy II Opening a new field of astronomy September 2, 2020

Pulsar Searches Searching for cosmic voices February 12, 2020

Solar Telescope Watching the Sun from the house of the Sun January 23, 2020

Time Balls Keeping time with the drop of a ball December 30, 2019

Einstein Tower Sculpting a scientific monument November 1, 2019

Island Astronomy Dark skies off the coast of Africa August 16, 2019

Radio Survey Mapping the radio sky March 15, 2019

Getting Ready Getting ready for a giant telescope March 14, 2019

Making Mirrors Making the mirrors for a jumbo telescope March 13, 2019

LIGO II Listening for black holes February 20, 2019

LIGO Whipping up space and time February 19, 2019

A New Observatory Dedicating an observatory November 9, 2018

Abandoned Observatories The ghosts of abandoned observatories October 31, 2018

PANOPTES A grassroots hunt for exoplanets October 2, 2018

Evryscope Many eyes on the southern sky October 1, 2018

High Climber Climbing toward the Sun September 10, 2018

Distant Planets Planets at the spout of the teapot August 29, 2018

Watchman Nuclear reactors and exploding stars August 21, 2018

South-Pole Astronomy Science at the bottom of the world August 9, 2018

New Telescope A new eye on the radio sky August 8, 2018

Hunting Aliens Still no signs of ET July 13, 2018

Selective Viewing Selecting the right targets July 12, 2018

George Ellery Hale One man, four giant telescopes June 28, 2018

May Day Dancing around the maypole May 1, 2018

New Tools Digging through piles of data April 25, 2018

Taking Control From cages to computers April 24, 2018

Streamers New arrivals in the Milky Way April 3, 2018

Neutrinos Zipping through the universe November 8, 2017

First Look A first glimpse at a new universe November 2, 2017

Last Discovery Picking out a new moon September 9, 2017

Giant Magellan Telescope II Getting to know distant planets August 10, 2017

Giant Magellan Telescope Building a telescopic behemoth August 9, 2017

HET Upgrade Upgrading a giant telescope August 8, 2017

Spying on Supernovae Keeping many eyes on exploding stars May 22, 2017

Event Horizon Telescope Looking for a giant black hole April 4, 2017

Exoplanets Big discoveries from little telescopes September 12, 2016

Big Dish Dishing up a giant new telescope September 11, 2016

Zenith Looking straight up August 27, 2016

Black Hole Outline Outlining a supermassive black hole June 27, 2016

Van Vleck Observatory Re-dedicating a century-old observatory June 15, 2016

Data Mining An embarrassment of cosmic riches April 29, 2016

Time-Domain Astronomy Digging into the archives April 28, 2016

Robotic Telescopes Robots take over the telescopes April 26, 2016

Lacy Galaxies Finding big but hazy galaxies March 31, 2016

Interferometry V Looking at giant black holes February 12, 2016

Interferometry IV A whole passel of telescopes February 11, 2016

Interferometry III Adding up the telescopes February 10, 2016

Interferometry II Sharpening the view of the stars February 9, 2016

Featured Images

The damaged Arecibo Telescope

End of an Era November 20, 2020
Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope

New Eye on the Sun January 23, 2020
DEC Cam CCDs

Big Chips October 18, 2019
VERITAS array in Arizona

Joining the Search September 30, 2019
Radio observatory on the Moon

Looking Deep May 21, 2019
Future site of the Giant Magellan Telescope in Chile

Digging In March 14, 2019

Rippling Through Space February 19, 2019
Original Cincinnati Observatory building, dedicated in 1843

New Observatory November 9, 2018
Views of Mont Blanc Observatory, France

Getting High September 10, 2018
IceCube detects a neutrino from a blazar

Cold Fire August 9, 2018
An odd telescope design of the 18th century.

Dancing 'Round the Maypole May 1, 2018
Edwin Hubble at the 100-inch Hooker Telescope

First View November 2, 2017
Artist's concept of Giant Magellan Telescope

New Giant August 9, 2017
IC 4406 planetary nebula

Beautiful Demise August 5, 2017
Evening view of Hobby-Eberly Telescope at McDonald Observatory

A New Era April 9, 2017
A swirl of stars at the center of the Milky Way contains a supermassive black hole

Looking for Darkness April 4, 2017
Artist's concept of Kepler Space Telescope

Little Telescope, Big Discoveries September 12, 2016
Laser adaptive optics system in Chile

Death Telescope? April 27, 2016
Artist's concept of completed Magdalena Ridge Observatory Interferometer

Running Interference February 11, 2016
View of the underground Soudan Laboratory

Underground Astronomy January 26, 2015
View of a newly forming planetary system around the young star HL Tauri

Planet Tracks November 6, 2014
Postcard of the historic Elgin Watch Company Observatory in Illinois

Star Time October 25, 2014
An early view of the primary mirror of McDonald Observatory's first telescope

Seeing the Light December 31, 2013
Telescopes at the south pole

Antarctic Adventures November 13, 2013
Images of solar telescopes around the world

Fanciful Eyes June 3, 2013
Hubble Space Telescope, May 2009

Recalibrating May 6, 2013
HESS telescopes in Namibia, which study the gamma-ray universe

Extreme Telescope November 8, 2012
Yerkes Observatory in Wisconsin is home to the world's largest refractor

Still Going August 18, 2011
Artist's concept of upgraded Hobby-Eberly Telescope

Facelift for Science June 3, 2011
Primary mirror of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope, McDonald Observatory

A Big Bottle of Windex? May 11, 2011
A fish-eye image shows a laser firing from the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii.

Zapping the Sky May 17, 2010

Turning On, Tuning In April 12, 2010

Cold Astronomy January 13, 2010