How does Hubble focus?

Hubble uses two mirrors, laid out in a Cassegrain telescope design, to collect and focus light. After light travels down the length of the telescope, it hits the concave, or bowl-shaped, primary mirror. The light reflects off of the primary mirror and travels back toward the front of the telescope.

How does the Hubble telescope point?

If one of the reaction wheels turns clockwise, Hubble will turn counterclockwise. Changing the spin speed of any of the wheels produces a rotational force called torque. The combined changes in the spin speeds of the wheels allow Hubble to maneuver to point at any location in the sky.

How does the Hubble telescope get its energy?

Hubble is powered by solar energy, collected by the two wing-like solar arrays seen in this image of the telescope taken during the final servicing mission in 2009. The solar arrays collect energy from the Sun, generating power for all of Hubble’s systems.

Why is this telescope orbiting in space what keeps it in orbit?

The gravitational forces of the Sun and the Earth can nearly hold a spacecraft at this point, so that it takes relatively little rocket thrust to keep the spacecraft in orbit around L2. This orbit (which takes Webb about 6 months to complete once) keeps the telescope out of the shadows of both the Earth and Moon.

How does a telescope see so far?

A telescope is a tool that astronomers use to see faraway objects. Most telescopes, and all large telescopes, work by using curved mirrors to gather and focus light from the night sky. The bigger the mirrors or lenses, the more light the telescope can gather. Light is then concentrated by the shape of the optics.

What was one of the goals of the Hubble telescope?

The purpose of the Hubble Space Telescope is to gather light from cosmic objects so scientists can better understand the universe around us. Hubble is in space, astronomers are on Earth.