How to Supersize a Telescope | Compilation

Telescopes can get pretty big, incredibly big actually. Unbelievably big. So here's a compilation about how we managed to get them that size and how that size helps us to see.

Hosted by: Savannah Geary (they/them)
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Sources:
The Leviathan of Parsonstown

ALMA: What We’ve Learned From One of the Best Telescopes On Earth

A Telescope Bigger Than The Solar System

[escobasingracia]

PBS Space-time also recently did a video about the exoplanet telescope. Worth a look

[RedHair]

I visited the Leviathan. Birr isn't very big and there isn't a lot you can do "to" the telescope (you can't get up on it, demonstrations of its motion only happen sometimes, and there's only so many things to read about it on the signs). HOWEVER, once you're done gawking at it, there is a lot to see on the castle grounds: old trees, nice gardens, wildflower, ... and an actual radio-telescope that is part of a big European array of radio-telescopes.

[FloozieOne]

Completed in November 1963, the Arecibo Telescope was the world's largest single-aperture telescope for 53 years. (The Chinese made a bigger one in 2016.) The dish was situated inside a natural karst sinkhole negating the destruction of the surrounding area by heavy earth-moving equipment. Shade-tolerant plants were put in around it to maintain the ecostructure. The receptor was the ball you see, but all the struts and wires you see were a gantry that could move the ball anywhere above the dish to receive signals from anywhere and direct them to the disc. It was funded by NSF and NASA but they transferred it to the Univ. of Florida in 2011. More funding cuts followed. Itwas damaged by Hurricane Maria in 2017 and was affected by earthquakes in 2019 and 2020. Inexcusably it was not repaired and several of the major suspension cables let go, one in August and another in November of 2020. There was a rush to try to get funding but no govt or scientific agency was willing to put up the money and it finally collapsed at 7:55 am on December1st, 2020 with the antenna falling into the dish.

[markholm]

At 2:35, the JWST mirrors are not aluminum on glass, but gold on beryllium.

[Darkmattermonkey]

Imagine if they turned the crater in Arizona into a radio telescope.

[foxyboiiyt]

I was working in Birr Castle on 9/11. One of those where were you when moments. The levitaton is cool in fairness

[theenchiladakid]

Are there any new photos of these galleries

[TragoudistrosMPH]

I long for the day when our Solar System is a telescope!!!

Imagine the earth and moon combined, or Earth and Mars!

[CMZneu]

Has anybody ever tried freezing the mercury so you can point it wherever you want?
Only problem i see is idk what kind of surface disturbances the whole freezing process would make, like crystals and it contracting, maybe if you freeze it very fast or something

[PeterPaoliello]

Would have been great to see the sketches and modern day images of the galaxies

[ddh]

Omg thanks for the share and stay classy

[neddyladdy]

Please, what does supersize mean when. I think I can understand it used as a noun, but I have no idea what is means as a verb.

[kuntamdc]

Can the Jwst image a rover on Mars ? Or look at subjects closer to us for that matter

[RPSchonherr]

A Lagrange telescope is possible. Place radio telescopes at several Lagrange points and you get a lens as big as the Earth's orbit.

[Latedinner]

I firmly believe that if we as humans actually spend the time and energy required to actually travel to another galaxy we can and we could likely thrive as a space faring civilization

[OverlordZephyros]

Just here to say that they aren't gonna restore the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico...
Apparently doing science and expanding human knowledge is too costly to care 😒😒😒

Hope someone with a science background or connection see this and do something about it

[archionblu]

I absolute LOVE Savannah's presentation style, I'm so glad they joined the team

[osmosisjones]

Can we use gravitational slingshots for interstellar time travel.
A warp highway.

[sicfxmusic]

Would you mind if an advanced alien race is spying on our planet observing our daily activities? Oh wait... that's the government!! 🤣🤣

[richardaitkenhead]

Well your not the police actually do an an estivgation even if it only involves poor people. Not sure what thr context of this message os