space observatory
Heavens-watching satellite station
A space observatory is a telescope or other astronomical instrument placed in orbit above Earth's atmosphere.
The atmosphere distorts and blocks certain wavelengths of light, so space-based instruments achieve clearer images and detect radiation—like X-rays and infrared—that never reaches ground-based telescopes.
The Hubble Space Telescope is the most famous space observatory.
- optical telescopeDevice magnifying through lenses
- radio telescopeAstronomical receiver for cosmic waves
- spectrometerMeasures electromagnetic radiation properties
- X-ray telescopeInstrument detecting high-energy cosmic radiation
- dark matterLightless cosmic mass
zero gravity · cosmic rays · star gazing · radiation shielding · interferometer · gyroscope · antenna array · NASA · mission control · launch window
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