AOSC Telescope Design Application 2008
Goal
- Students use principles of optics to explain how reflecting
and refracting telescopes collect and focus light.
- Students think critically about the design strengths and
drawback of these telescopes.
Assignment
Students will form teams of 2-3 and will tackle one of two
problems described below. They will have 30 minutes to work on
the problem, then 10 minutes to compare notes with other groups
who worked on the same problem. The final 20 minutes will be a
"group share" (10 minutes for refractor groups and 10 for
reflectors).
Refractor Challenge
You are as astronomer in the early 1600s. A friend mentions he's
heard a rumor that a new device called a "telescope" has been
invented by a clever person in the Netherlands. This device
magnifies objects so that they are easier to see. It occurs to
you that this could be useful for your studies of the moon and
planets. The only thing your friend remembers is that the device
is made using lenses. Use your knowledge of how lenses work to
come up with a design for a "refracting" telescope which uses only
lenses.
Reflector Challenge
You are an astronomer in the 1700s. Refracting telescopes are all
the rage, but you would like to try a new idea: making a telescope
using mirrors rather than lenses. You realize that the eyepiece
must be a lens, but want to use one or more mirrors to gather and
focus the light. Use your knowledge of how lenses work to
come up with a design for a "reflecting" telescope which uses
mirrors (except for the eyepice).
Questions for Students
- How will the lenses or mirrors affect the light? Draw the
path of the light through the system.
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of this type of
telescope?
- If you wanted to attach a camera to this kind of telescope
to take pictures of the images, at what location would you
attach the instrument to the telescope?
- Would it be practical to make a large telescope by scaling
this design up?
Materials
Gregory D. Wirth
Last modified: Fri May 2 02:31:20 HST 2008