Probing unknown unknowns: A new generation of telescopes
Recent advancements in telescope technology, including the ELT and Vera C. Rubin, aim to enhance cosmological research, despite gaps in ultraviolet and visible light astronomy due to political and financial issues.
Read original article
Recent advancements in telescope technology are set to significantly enhance our understanding of the universe over the next two decades. The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) and the Vera C. Rubin telescope, both under construction in Chile, exemplify this progress. The ELT will feature a mirror equivalent to four tennis courts, while Rubin's camera, the largest ever built, will capture the entire sky every three days, creating a time-lapse of the universe over ten years. Despite these advancements, there are notable gaps in upcoming space telescopes, particularly in ultraviolet and visible light astronomy, due to political and financial constraints. The Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes have revolutionized cosmology, uncovering unexpected phenomena that were not part of their original objectives. Future telescopes, including the Euclid and Nancy Grace Roman telescopes, aim to address inconsistencies in the universe's expansion rates and matter distribution. However, the reliance on infrared observations raises concerns about diversity in observational capabilities. Innovative approaches, such as deploying telescopes on the Moon or using gravitational wave detectors, may yield further discoveries. Ultimately, the next generation of telescopes is expected to explore unknown unknowns, pushing the boundaries of our cosmic understanding.
- New telescopes like the ELT and Vera C. Rubin are set to enhance cosmological research.
- Gaps exist in ultraviolet and visible light astronomy due to political and financial issues.
- Hubble and Webb have made unexpected discoveries beyond their initial goals.
- Future telescopes aim to resolve inconsistencies in the universe's expansion.
- Innovative technologies may lead to new discoveries in astronomy.
Related
The future of US astronomy just dimmed by half
The National Science Foundation's choice to fund only one new telescope impacts US astronomy's future. Ground-based observatories like the Giant Magellan Telescope offer unique advantages over space-based ones. Concerns arise over the field's competitiveness and capabilities.
The Webb Telescope Further Deepens the Biggest Controversy in Cosmology
The James Webb Space Telescope's observations have intensified the Hubble tension debate, with conflicting measurements from two research teams suggesting possible systematic errors in distance measurement methods. Further investigation is needed.
The 'Beautiful Confusion' of the First Billion Years Comes into View
The James Webb Space Telescope has revealed unexpectedly bright and massive galaxies from the early universe, challenging cosmological models and prompting discussions on new theories regarding star formation and cosmic evolution.
A solar gravitational lens will be humanity's most powerful telescope
A solar gravitational lens could revolutionize astronomy by allowing telescopes positioned 550-850 AU from the sun to observe exoplanets and neutron stars, despite current technological limitations.
First section of Euclid space telescope's map of the universe revealed
The Euclid space telescope, launched in 2023, has released its first 208-gigapixel mosaic, covering 1% of its planned 3D universe map, focusing on dark energy and dark matter exploration.
4 comments• Large Telescopes → Large Language Models (LLM): Solid start, foundational capabilities.
• Large Telescope (VLT) → Very Large Language Models (VLLM): Major upgrade in size and skills.
• Giant Telescopes → Giant Language Models (GLM): Multimodal, smarter and more specialized.
• Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) → Extremely Large Language Models (ELLM): Expert-level, cross-domain.
• Overwhelmingly Large Telescope (OWL) → Overwhelmingly Large Language Model (OWLLM): Theoretical AGI, huge power, ethical dilemmas.
"There are known knowns. There are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don’t know we don’t know."
What's with those "football stadium", "tennis court", etc measurement units?
Is it assumed that everyone knows how much that is? Are they more understandable than giving a number (area) or two (length x width) in SI - or even Imperial - units?
Instead you have to go search for what the size in that particular sport is, so you can get any idea of what they're talking about!
Related
The future of US astronomy just dimmed by half
The National Science Foundation's choice to fund only one new telescope impacts US astronomy's future. Ground-based observatories like the Giant Magellan Telescope offer unique advantages over space-based ones. Concerns arise over the field's competitiveness and capabilities.
The Webb Telescope Further Deepens the Biggest Controversy in Cosmology
The James Webb Space Telescope's observations have intensified the Hubble tension debate, with conflicting measurements from two research teams suggesting possible systematic errors in distance measurement methods. Further investigation is needed.
The 'Beautiful Confusion' of the First Billion Years Comes into View
The James Webb Space Telescope has revealed unexpectedly bright and massive galaxies from the early universe, challenging cosmological models and prompting discussions on new theories regarding star formation and cosmic evolution.
A solar gravitational lens will be humanity's most powerful telescope
A solar gravitational lens could revolutionize astronomy by allowing telescopes positioned 550-850 AU from the sun to observe exoplanets and neutron stars, despite current technological limitations.
First section of Euclid space telescope's map of the universe revealed
The Euclid space telescope, launched in 2023, has released its first 208-gigapixel mosaic, covering 1% of its planned 3D universe map, focusing on dark energy and dark matter exploration.