Page 35 - Life beyond the Karman

faster. The arrays are projected to be used for approximately five decades, with a targeted completion date of 2028.
KECK TELESCOPES
The Keck Telescope is a 32.8-foot (10-metre) optical and infrared telescope located on Maunakea in Hawaii, United States.
Despite being Earth-based the Keck Observatory’s twin telescopes can look deeper into space than the well-known Hubble Telescope. The Keck accounts for over a quarter of all observations made by astronomers in the United States, and it is often regarded as the most scientifically productive of all land telescopes.
The observatory uses optical and infrared telescopes to create crisp images in the visible light spectrum while also enabling astronomers to look further into space with infrared.
This combination of instruments has revealed stunning visuals such as the formation of stars, which can cause a visible glow, as well as heat surrounding gas, which can be detected using infrared.
The observatory is located near the equator, at the summit of the dormant Hawaiian volcano Mauna Kea. Each telescope consists of 36 mirrors joined together to form a single big panel. The two telescopes, housed in insulated domes, operate at temperatures just below freezing to prevent heat from interfering with infrared photographs.
HOBBY EBERLY
Hobby Eberly is an optical telescope located in Texas in the United States. Its diameter is 32 feet (10 metres).
Prior to its popularity as one of the world’s largest optical telescopes, Hobby Eberly’s design was distinctive. One feature that distinguishes it from other existing telescopes is its mirror, which is inclined 55 degrees up from the horizon. This may sound restrictive, but its spinning mechanism allows it to see 70% of the visible sky. The telescope’s mirror contains 91 hexagonal segments that capture visible light.
Hobby Eberly’s most notable discovery was light coming from a quasar so far away that the Earth was only a fourth of its current age when this light began to journey towards it. A quasar is an extremely luminous object that gets its energy from a supermassive black hole.
Arecibo Telescope
For more than 50 years, the 305-metre-wide Arecibo telescope built inside a sinkhole in Puerto Rico was the world’s largest radio telescope.
Its primary goal was to identify military missiles destined for the United States, not to do scientific research. However, in 1967, it was transferred to the National Science Foundation and designated as a research centre. The first alteration was the installation of S-Band radar technology, which could detect solar system objects as far away as Saturn.
SQUARE KILOMETRE ARRAY (SKA)
LIFE BEYOND THE KÁRMÁN LINE - OUTER SPACE
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