Hale Teescope Research Paper

The Hale Telescope

Who has not ever, even if just for a brief moment, looked up at a dark but vividly lit starry night sky and wondered how far those seemingly little lights reach, and if that beauty goes on forever, or if it ends at some point. I believe this question has been pondered by mankind since our creation, and early astronomers are proof of this pondering. Telescopes began as a way for these early astronomers to chart the stars and planets and their movements as they searched for more than what just the naked eye could offer them. In the early 17th century, craftsman began making telescopes, though the tools to invent them had been available for centuries before. Early telescope were called spyglasses and needed improvement. Galileo's Optic Tube, also known as the Galilean telescope is an example of the early creation of refracting telescopes. There were a few different makers and models of refractor telescopes but it was soon discovered they could make a better telescope. With the beginning of the 18th century came the reflecting telescope, which is also called a reflector; an optical telescope that uses either a single curved mirror, or a combination of curved mirrors. There are many types reflecting telescopes: there is the Gregorian telescope, the Cassegrain telescope, and the Ritchey–Chrétien telescope. But today, we are going to be talking about one telescope in particular; "the 200 inch Hale Telescope, which for decades stood as the largest telescope on the planet"(1), from 1948 to 1976. The Hale telescope opened up the skies in ways we never imagined.

George Ellery Hale was a man with a vision. He was an astronomer who had big ideas and the know-how on how to obtain the funds to make his dream...

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...e realization that telescopes were for far more than just looking at and charting the stars and that there is so much more out there than just our eyes can see. Through the Hale telescope, new theories formed about how the stars and galaxies formed and evolved. Hale helped establish the then new science of astrophysics and through that, we have learned not only of objects existing space unseen to the naked eye or lesser telescopes, and it helped us not only learn where objects were but also what they were and if they changed over time or remained the same. The discovery of Dwarf Planets were possible due to the hale. Through Hale, our view of the universe changed, boundaries disappeared, curiosity grew, a nation and the world were enriched, and dreams became possibilities and knowledge. Yes, The Hale telescope truly opened up the skies in ways we never imagined.