GROUP- 3

ASTRONOMICAL TELESCOPE

Group Members:

Tushar Gupta 2022EEB1222

Vartika pant 2022EEB1223

Varun Kashyap 2022EEB1224

Venkat K 2022EEB1225

V Keerthan 2022EEB1226
TELESCOPE:

Telescopes are instruments that allow us to observe distant objects in the sky. By amplifying the
light that reaches us from objects in space, we can observe galaxies, nebulae, and stars in greater
detail than we could with the naked eye. Telescopes come in a variety of types, each with its
advantages and disadvantages.

Types of Telescope:

Astronomical Telescopes: The working of telescopes is based on the principle that when
an object that is to be magnified is placed at a considerable distance from the objective lens of
an astronomical telescope, magnified, virtual, and inverted images are formed at the least
distance when held close to the eyepiece.

Terrestrial telescopes: The terrestrial telescope is a refracting type of telescope used to see
erect images of distant earthly objects. It uses an additional convex lens between the objective
and eyepiece for obtaining an erect image. The construction of a terrestrial telescope is similar to
that of an astronomical telescope. The only difference is the introduction of a third convex lens
known as field lens or erecting lens. This lens is kept in between the objective and eyepiece.

Refracting telescopes use lenses to magnify the light, allowing us to observe details on
planets and moons in our solar system. Reflecting telescopes use mirrors to magnify light
instead of lenses. These are more popular than refractors due to their lower cost, higher light-
gathering power, and ability to produce more detailed images of distant galaxies and nebulae.
Reflecting telescopes are best suited for viewing the night sky.
 Materials Required
Segment 1:

Segment 2:

Lens:

Lenses:

Achromatic objective lens - Dia 50mm & Focal length 700mm - 1No. Eyepiece

- Focal length 25mm - 1No.

Segment-1:

Dia 50mm (ID) PVC joint - 1No.

Dia 50mm (OD) x 500mm long PVC pipe - 1No.

Segment-2:

Dia 40mm joint - 2Nos.

Dia 40mm x 220mm pipe - 1No. Dia

40mm x 25mm pipe - 1No.

Dia 40mm to Dia 25mm reducer - 1No. Dia

25mm x 160mm pipe - 1No.

Dia 25mm joint - 1No.

Masking tape

Working of Telescope
Components:

Objective Lens: The objective lens (in refractors) or primary mirror (in reflectors) collects lots of light
from a distant object and brings that light, or image, to a point or focus.

Eyepiece Lens: An eyepiece lens takes the bright light from the focus of the objective lens or primary
mirror and "spreads it out" (magnifies it) to take up a large portion of the retina. This is the same
principle that a magnifying glass (lens) uses; it takes a small image on the paper and spreads it out over
the retina of your eye so that it looks big.

Segments: These segments form the body of our telescope and also provide the suitable length to the
telescope for distant viewing. Segment 1 is used to fix the objective lens at one of its ends and the other is
kept free for the other segment. The segment 2 is also joined to the first by a connector and so on this
segment is connected to the reducer and finally connects to the eyepiece as shown in the figures above.
 Calculations & Ray Diagrams

When the final image is formed at the least distance of distinct vision from the eye.

In the normal adjustment of the telescope, the final image is formed at infinity.
 Magnification:
→ For image at infinity:
(as in our case)
As the image gets magnified for the observer, the position of each feature in the image moves to
a larger and larger angle off the centerline (i.e. the line looking straight ahead). Hence the
magnification can be figured as the ratio of the angle seen at the eyepiece to the angle seen by
the objective lens. For our analysis, let's define some terms:

M= angle subtended by image at eye/ angle

subtended by object at unaided eye

Angle seen at objective = A’B’/focal length of objective lens = h/fo.

Angle seen at eyepiece = A’B’/focal length of eyepiece lens = h/fe.

We will also define the focal length of each lens, that is, the distance from the lens where
it focuses light to a point.

Focal length of objective = 700mm Focal

length of eyepiece = 25mm

Then the telescope's magnification will be

M= (h/fe)/(h/fo)

and after we cancel the h's in top & bottom and rearrange we get : M =

fo/fe

** In our case, by the data and formulas above;

Magnification = 700/25 = 28
 Procedure
1. Collect the required material and cut the PVC pipes to the length mentioned above.

2. Connect the pieces of Segment 1 and 2 as shown in the figure.

3. Using masking tape, fit the objective lens in the joint of Segment 1(50mm diameter joint).

4. Use masking tape to fit the eyepiece lens to the other side in Segment 2(25mm diameter joint).

5. Insert segment 2 into segment 1 such that the total length of the telescope equals the sum of the focal
length of both the eyepiece and objective lens.

6. Use masking tape wherever necessary to fix the position.

Observation & Results

Upon using the telescope, we were able to observe the moon and some maria (dark, flat areas),
and since the magnification is not that high enough we were also able to see some far away
terrestrial objects but inverted image was obtained and was also somewhat blurry. The resulting
image depends upon several factors such as the quality of lens used , the net magnification and
also the atmospheric conditions like the presence of clear sky. For observing stars and the
moon , we had to use the telescope in a dark location and also let our eyes adjust to the
darkness .
 Limitations
Light Gathering Power :

The ability of a telescope to collect a lot more light than the human eye is its light-gathering power. The
telescope acts as a ``light bucket'', collecting all of the photons that come down from a faraway object.
This makes faint images brighter. Very far away, faint objects can be seen only with BIG objective
telescopes. Making faint images brighter is critical if the light is going to be dispersed to make a
spectrum.The area of the objective is the determining factor.

But due to the size limitation of our telescope (diameter = 50mm), the light-gathering power is a lot
lower causing the image formed to be very faint.

Resolving Power :

The resolving power of a telescope is its ability to distinguish between two closely spaced objects in the
observed image. It is determined by the diameter of the telescope's objective lens or mirror, with larger
apertures providing higher resolving power. The resolving power of a telescope equals to 1.22 times the
wavelength of the observed light divided by the diameter of the telescope's aperture.

When viewing distant objects along the same line, they can appear to be separated by a small angle, even if
they are a considerable distance apart. Their angular separation
θ=s/r, where s is the distance between the two objects and r is the distance of the objects from the
viewer.

But due to the size limitation of our telescope (diameter = 50mm), the resolving power is a lot lower. It is
not possible to see clusters of stars or galaxies as it won't be discernible.

Chromatic aberrations:
Achromatic refractors use lenses that are not extensively corrected to prevent chromatic aberration, a
rainbow halo that sometimes appears around images seen through a refractor.
Instead, they usually have "coated" lenses to reduce this problem. Apochromatic refractors use multiple-
lens designs or lenses made of glass (such as fluorite) to prevent chromatic aberration. Apochromatic
refractors are much more expensive than achromatic refractors. The lens used is specially designed to
control the effects of chromatic distortion or aberration (a defect of optical lenses to bring the focus of all
colors to the same convergence point) and is called an achromatic lens. An achromatic lens can be
defined as a lens made by a combination of two different types of lenses carrying different focal powers
in a manner such that the images formed by the light of both the combined lenses are free from chromatic
aberration or achromatism. The lens correction is made by bringing the wavelengths of both lenses into
focus on the same plane. The wavelengths generally are in red and blue color.

Uses & Applications

In the future, telescopes are expected to have a wide range of uses in various fields, such as:

Astronomy: Telescopes will continue to be crucial tools for observing and studying the universe. They
will be used to study the formation and evolution of stars and galaxies, the distribution of dark matter and
dark energy, and the properties of exoplanets.

Planetary science: Telescopes will be used to study the planets in our solar system, their moons, and other
small bodies such as asteroids and comets. They will be used to search for signs of life on other planets
and study the geology and composition of these worlds.

National security: Telescopes can be used for national security, such as monitoring space debris,
tracking satellites and missile launches, and conducting surveillance.
 Future Aspects

In the future, telescopes will likely become larger and, therefore powerful, overcoming the limitations our
sample telescope faced. Additionally, we can expect telescopes to be equipped with advanced
instrumentation and data processing capabilities, enabling us to extract even more information from our
observations. These powerful telescopes will enable us to make even more detailed observations of the
universe and study the properties of dark matter and dark energy, even gravitational waves.

In the future, telescopes are expected to continue advancing in several areas, such as:

Larger and more powerful telescopes: New telescopes are being developed with larger mirrors, more
advanced imaging technology, and improved adaptive optics to correct atmospheric distortions.

Wider range of wavelengths: Telescopes are designed to observe light across a broader range of the
electromagnetic spectrum, from radio waves to X-rays and gamma rays. This will enable us to study a
broader range of objects, from the most distant galaxies to the tiniest subatomic particles.

More automated and efficient observation: Advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning are
making it possible to automate some aspects of telescope observation and data analysis. This will allow
telescopes to scan the sky more quickly and accurately and produce more reliable data.

Citations

https://science.howstuffworks.com/telescope2.htm
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/definition/achromatic-lens
https://unacademy.com/content/jee/study-material/physics/astronomical-telescopes/

http://www2.phy.ilstu.edu/~bkc/astronomy/telescop/telescpb.htm

http://www.alevelphysicsnotes.com/astrophysics/telescopes.html