People have been fascinated with space for thousands of years. New machines are always being invented to help us travel farther and learn more about the universe
Did You Know: Space – How do we look into space?
We can use devices called telescopes to look into space. They can be used to look closely at planets and the moon and to find distant stars and galaxies.
There are lots of telescopes on the Earth and there are also telescopes that orbit our planet.
Laser beams
The Earth’s atmosphere can make images from space look blurry. This telescope shoots a powerful laser beam into space to help correct the blurriness of the images caused by the atmosphere.
Yepun telescope
The Yepun telescope is one of four large telescopes in Chile, South America. Its main mirror is 26 ft (8 m) wide— as wide as a tennis court!
These four telescopes are used to see far into space.
How telescopes work
One of the most common types of telescope is a reflecting telescope.
Light from an object, such as the mon, enters through the top of the telescope and reflects, or bounces, off several angled mirrors.
This creates a more detailed image than can be seen with the naked eye
When was the telescope invented?
Galileo Galilei
In 1609, the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei built his own telescope.
It was an improved version of Hans Lippershey’s invention. Galileo used it to make lots of discoveries, such as mountains and valleys on the surface of the moon.