A telescope orbiting an outer planet?

  • Context: Stargazing 
  • Thread starter Thread starter Felix83
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Planet Telescope
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of building a large telescope to orbit an outer planet, such as Jupiter, and the implications of such a project. Participants explore the feasibility, potential benefits, and challenges of this idea, including energy requirements and observational advantages compared to existing telescopes like Hubble.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that a telescope beyond the asteroid belt could provide clearer observations than Hubble, questioning the accuracy of this assumption.
  • Others argue that the idea of a larger telescope is not new and that funding such a project may not be justifiable given the limited additional benefits for observing Jupiter.
  • Concerns are raised about the energy requirements for operating a telescope in such a distant orbit, with some suggesting that Jupiter could provide energy after reaching it.
  • Some participants note that the asteroid belt does not pose a significant obstacle for spacecraft, suggesting that this concern is overstated.
  • There is a discussion about the potential for gravitational lensing if a telescope were placed beyond all planets, with some expressing enthusiasm for such a project.
  • Participants debate whether a larger telescope is necessary, with some suggesting that advancements in technology could allow for smaller, more efficient designs.
  • Questions arise about the theoretical size needed for a telescope to be effective if sent beyond the solar system, and there is clarification that Hubble does not travel outside the solar system.
  • Some participants mention alternatives to larger telescopes, such as interferometry and very long baseline telescopes, which could enhance resolution without requiring a larger aperture.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of views, with no consensus on the necessity of a larger telescope or the feasibility of the proposed project. There are competing ideas about the advantages of such a telescope and the challenges it would face.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include assumptions about energy availability, the effectiveness of gravitational lensing, and the potential benefits of size versus technological advancements in telescope design.

Felix83
Messages
75
Reaction score
0
The idea popped into my head today of building an extreme telescope (larger than hubble) to orbit an outer planet such as Jupiter etc.. I'm thinking that with it being past the asteroid belt, we would be able to see farther and clearer than with the hubble. Is this an accurate assumption? The question is, is their enough solar energy out their to power it or is it to far from the sun?
 
Astronomy news on Phys.org
The idea is not so new, perhaps a good imagination. But none of the organisations would like to spend enormous money on a telescope bigger than the HUBBLE which only gives you the images of the JUPITER.And also talking about the energy needed, fuels are needed only to help the vehicle reach near the JUPITER and after that the necessary energy is provided by the Jupiter.

BJ
 
Felix83 said:
The idea popped into my head today of building an extreme telescope (larger than hubble) to orbit an outer planet such as Jupiter etc.. I'm thinking that with it being past the asteroid belt, we would be able to see farther and clearer than with the hubble. Is this an accurate assumption? The question is, is their enough solar energy out their to power it or is it to far from the sun?

If your concern is the asteroid belt, then it isn't worth the trouble. The asteroid belt isn't so thickly populated to cause any problem for the Hubble. Despite what you see in popular accounts such as movies, you could pass right through the asteriod belt without even seeing an asteroid.
 
As Janus noted, the asteriod belt is no obstruction at all.

Now a telescope parked out beyond all the planets that could use gravitational lensing around the sun would be something great.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Modulo2pi
The distance from Earth to Jupiter is so small compared with the distance to "Hubble objects" that the difference would not be worth the cost.
 
The next generation of telescopes will be put into orbits far more distant than the current ones. For example, whilst the HST is at 600 km from earth, the JWST (to be launched at 2011) will be at the sun-earth Lagrange point L2, 1.5 million km from earth. In such an orbit the thermal influence from the Earth and moon are very low, which is optimal for the infrared observations to detect first stars and galaxies. I don’t think that an orbit around Jupiter would have better conditions.
 
Last edited:
Phobos said:
As Janus noted, the asteriod belt is no obstruction at all.

Now a telescope parked out beyond all the planets that could use gravitational lensing around the sun would be something great.

That would be an awesome project. Would the telescope necessarily have to be bigger though? With the way technology is rapidly advancing, I don't see how we would need to make a larger telescope to go out beyond our planets. Wouldn't it be possible, and potentially less expensive, to use smaller more compact and effecient technology?

~Kitty
 
misskitty said:
That would be an awesome project. Would the telescope necessarily have to be bigger though? With the way technology is rapidly advancing, I don't see how we would need to make a larger telescope to go out beyond our planets. Wouldn't it be possible, and potentially less expensive, to use smaller more compact and effecient technology?

~Kitty

Unfortunately, for telescopes, there is no substitute for bigger. The larger the telescope the better the resolution. This due to the defraction of light.
 
That does make sense. How much bigger would this telescope need to be theoretically if we were to send out beyond our solar system?

This is going to sound like a stupid question but doens't the Hubble already travel outside our solar system?

~Kitty
 
  • #10
misskitty said:
This is going to sound like a stupid question but doens't the Hubble already travel outside our solar system?

Nope, the Hubble stays in orbit around the Earth (only about 600 km away).
 
  • #11
Janus said:
Unfortunately, for telescopes, there is no substitute for bigger. The larger the telescope the better the resolution. This due to the defraction of light.
Well, there's interferometry.

And very long baseline telescopes. Two synced telescopes one thousand miles apart is almost like having a telescope with a thousand mile aperature.
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

Undergrad New Developments In The Search For Planet X
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
4K
High School When Would Planets Go Dark if the Sun Went Out?
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
Undergrad Evidence for existence of a 9th Planet in the solar system
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
3K
High School Saturn's 145 Moons: The Latest Discoveries and What Sets Them Apart
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
6K
Undergrad Composition of Jupiter: Ices, Cores & Outer Gas Layers
  • · Replies 24 ·
Replies
24
Views
4K
Undergrad How Can We Measure Properties of Distant Planets and Stars?
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
3K
Undergrad How Big of an Object Orbiting Closer to the Sun Than Earth Could Be Overlooked?
  • · Replies 17 ·
Replies
17
Views
5K
Undergrad Would an exploded planet change earths orbit (see graphic)
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
3K
High School Evolution of planetary system around a white dwarf
  • · Replies 0 ·
Replies
0
Views
2K
Undergrad If a planet struck the sun, would fragments be blasted out?
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
3K