Telescopes: the Tools of Astronomy

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This is the fifth lecture series of my complete online introductory undergraduate college course. This video series was used at William Paterson University and CUNY Hunter in online classes as well as to supplement in-person course material. Notes and links are present in the videos at the start of each lecture.
0:00:00 - lecture 1: Refraction and Reflection
0:15:30 - lecture 2: Angular Resolution and Seeing
0:37:09 - lecture 3: Plate Scale, Focal Ratio and Magnification
0:53:08 - lecture 4: Imaging with CCDs
1:05:03 - lecture 5: Big Telescopes and High-Resolution
1:41:20 - lecture 6: Radio Telescopes
2:01:43 - lecture 7: Space-Based Telescopes
2:32:31 - lecture 8: All Sky Astronomical Surveys
In the first lecture, Refraction and Reflection, I discussed the obvious point that all telescopes rely on some ability to focus light to a point. The two ways are refraction and reflection. I'll describe what they are in the context of telescopes. Next, I go over angular resolution and seeing. A key aspect of telescopes is their angular resolution. I talk about what makes up the concept of angular resolution and seeing. From her, I go on to focal ratio, magnification, plate scale, and related ideas. After that, I chat about the nature of how images are created digitally. We look at it from a hardware point of view, and we see that the current way of doing images relies on tiny boxes. Now that we know how they work, we'll take a look at big telescopes around the world and in space. This is meant as a basic introduction to some of the greatest resources ever constructed. I'm showing off their websites and what the instruments look like. After that, we'll learn about radio telescopes, what they do, what their function is, and some of the major radio facilities around the world. We also examine angular resolution and the need for interferometry in radio telescopes. We'll also lament the loss of Arecibo. From there, we go on to some of the more prominent space-based observatories, what they see, and how they do what they do. We'll learn about JWST, and far behind it is.... )-; Last, what can they see when they work well? All Sky Astronomical Surveys. I'll talk about the nature of full-sky surveys. It is highly instructive to make maps of the entire sky, just like it's important to make maps of our spherical Earth. We look at many wavelength bands and how the sky looks at all those wavelengths.

[@jimsteen911]

I’ve been watching your videos for what feels like a few years and I only noticed today that you provided links to free, open source, downloadable textbooks to all of your videos. Sir, you are just awesome. I’m a blue collar guy from poverty-I’ve taught myself physics, to a pretty high level, through just watching KZbin and open source lectures, reading papers, and laughing at popular science drivel along the way. This is a hard avenue-watching videos alone is not a good way to learn-but I’ve managed to do it. Just been obsessed with everything physics and astrophysics that I don’t watch movies or anything like that anymore, it’s science science science, I love it. Never bothered to take it seriously enough to get textbooks but now I’ve reached a plateau where I can’t proceed much further without math. And so I thank you for the open source info, thank you so much. You’ve really been there through this whole personal journey-your personality is easy to engage with and obviously I feel like I know You at this point. (Don’t make it weird lol). I’m simply saying thank you, sir.

[@JasonKendallAstronomer]

Glad you found the textbooks that was the original idea to be able to go and learn on their own

[@michaelmcveigh8880]

Explains bipolar stars which are many used radi to CNC machine within cams for valves always wondered why so many inputs of each radi within the program development from a computer which calculations are made precisely ...they way the both types of telescope explained also made image resolution upon the cc'd chip fitter red & blue shift why the digital is better than capturing on 35 mm film of the camera explained & shared thank you

[@Meowface.]

Came across your channel recently Been listening to your longer videos every single night since! Thanks so much for the quality content

[@JasonKendallAstronomer]

Welcome aboard!

[@user-pw9bh8vw4t]

I wasn't sure I'd enjoy this video, the title seems a little drab. I was wrong - your enthusiasm and deep knowledge of the subject kept me captivated the whole way through and I learned a hell of a lot - thank you once again for an outstanding presentation teaching others! I need to check if you have done a video on the James Webb telescope.

[@j.ianlindsay9322]

You are an excellent teacher. Thanks for the huge upload.

[@JasonKendallAstronomer]

You're very welcome!

[@briancowan3196]

Thank you Mr. Kendall. Your lectures are great and very informative. Your teaching style makes some difficult concepts easier to understand and I appreciate that. Do you teach any online classes that I might be able to enroll in?

[@JasonKendallAstronomer]

Unfortunately I don’t. Someday, I may put something else together, but it would have to be something that wasn’t already done well.

[@CatFish107]

Surprising crossover of usefulness regarding angular measurement. Minute of Angle (MOA) is a measure that is used in target shooting, which also makes use of magnified optics and needs to consider parallax! Opposite of "when am I ever going to use this?" Angular measurements within arc second ranges are a little too precise for the levels of repeatability one might expect when punching holes in paper at distance.

[@littlebug6152]

Been watching your videos for the last week, the other night i bought a large notebook and a few pens. I'm 41, a high school drop out, don't know Algebra, some basic math.. etc. I'm going to start here, so far have 3 pages of notes. Had to stop 9 minutes in so i can learn what the symbols are, how they work, what sin is. Will keep adding my progress as i go. Hated school, 20+ years later this is something that i just want to learn. Thanks, looking forward to learning all of this.

[@JasonKendallAstronomer]

Glad to hear it. It’s a good journey to begin. All the best!

[@rainyday9002]

Go you!! good luck in life :)

[@Moto_Medics]

I feel that I’m right here with ya

[@SiddharthPandey2452]

Thanks you so much Jason for this

[@christopherreed2694]

I wish you lived in Oregon I'd take you to dinner and ask you so meny questions your head would pop I dig your channel man

[@JasonKendallAstronomer]

That would be cool

[@Rustyzip53]

Speaking of the photoelectric effect. Einstein discovered it and won his only Nobel prize for it in 1921. Back then who would have imagined the profound effect it would someday have on the world.

[@AB-pw9iw]

where do I start From... I am not able to Follow the videos in series

[@JasonKendallAstronomer]

Go here

[@JasonKendallAstronomer]

Introductory Astronomy Full College Course kzbin.info/aero/PLyu4Fovbph6fl0UGSo3aLqHCmBIYkiqzq

[@lucianaortiz1326]

Amazing video, thank you for giving us such education.

[@tedwalford7615]

Dreamed extensively of telescopes....

[@Moto_Medics]

1:34:39 this is the most amazing thing I’ve heard in a long time holy cow Thank you for sharing this with us I’m hooked

[@JasonKendallAstronomer]

Glad to hear it. Have you perused the rest of the series?

[@oscarontiveros5117]

Thank you!!!

[@trevorvanbremen4718]

Why on EARTH did I just click on a 3 freaking hour youtube movie about telescopes??? Oh, it's a Jason Kendall movie, so it'll have nice chapters for me to 'pause' at over the next days of watching

[@JasonKendallAstronomer]

Also, it’s rated PG-13.

[@trevorvanbremen4718]

@@JasonKendallAstronomer Can't have EVERYTHING I guess? LMAO

[@christopherreed2694]

Your pretty smart man !

[@TimPerfetto]

You're*

[@theccpisaparasite8813]

Underestimated...?

[@brandonbentley5453]

Invest in as much Dobsonian Reflector you can afford. Do not use refractor telescope for nighttime celestial viewing.