Ground-based Telescopes
Most telescopes used by astronomers are on Earth. We call these ground-based telescopes.
Building a telescope on Earth is much easier and cheaper than in space. It is also much easier to fix if things go wrong.
Las Cumbres Observatory
The Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) network was founded in 2005.
It has over 20 telescopes around the world. Each one is fully robotic, so people do not need to be on site. They are controlled over the internet.
Observatories
An astronomical observatory is a place or building used to look at events in space. They can contain just one telescope, but some have more than twenty.
Mario Hamuy
Early Life
Mario was born in Chile. Although his dad was a politician Mario found a love for science. He got degrees in physics and astronomy from the University of Chile.
Year born: 1960
Research Areas: Observational Astronomy, Supernovae, Cosmic Distances
Telescopes Quiz
Telescopes are used to magnify distant objects. They are a vital tool for astronomy. Over the last few hundred years, scientists and engineers have built bigger and better telescopes, revealing the mysteries of the Universe. But how much do you know about telescopes on Earth and beyond?
Tana Joseph
Early Life
Tana grew up in Cape Town, South Africa as the daughter of two science teachers. When she was 11 years old, the newspaper printed images from the Hubble Space Telescope on their front page. The pictures inspired Tana to become an astronomer. She went on to study physics and astronomy at university. After receiving a scholarship, she gained her PhD in the UK in 2013.
Year born: 1984
Research Areas: Extragalactic X-ray Binaries, Radio Astronomy
"Science isn’t done until it is communicated."