telescope

Telescopes collect and focus light or other radiation. This topic is part of Astronomy within Science & Nature. This page currently draws on 20 supporting questions, with answers and bonus facts available below.

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telescope trivia questions

A telescope is used to observe what?

Answer: Distant objects

Bonus fact: Telescopes collect and focus light or other radiation.

A refracting telescope uses what to focus light?

Answer: Lenses

Bonus fact: Refactors use objective lenses.

A reflecting telescope uses what as its main light-gathering element?

Answer: Mirror

Bonus fact: Reflectors use curved mirrors.

What space telescope launched in 1990 was named after Edwin Hubble?

Answer: Hubble Space Telescope

Bonus fact: Hubble has produced iconic astronomical images.

Which space telescope discovered thousands of exoplanet candidates using transits?

Answer: Kepler

Bonus fact: NASA's Kepler mission transformed exoplanet science.

Which Space Shuttle orbiter carried the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit in 1990?

Answer: Discovery

Bonus fact: Hubble was launched on April 24, 1990.

Which space telescope made the Pillars of Creation famous with a 1995 image?

Answer: Hubble Space Telescope

Bonus fact: Hubble's dramatic image became one of the most recognizable astronomical photographs ever published.

Which space telescope famously used the transit method to discover thousands of exoplanet candidates?

Answer: Kepler

Bonus fact: Kepler continuously monitored large numbers of stars for periodic brightness dips.

Which space telescope discovered Kepler-22b?

Answer: Kepler Space Telescope

Bonus fact: NASA's Kepler mission was designed specifically to find planets by watching stars dim during transits.

WASP-39b became a major target for which space telescope launched in 2021?

Answer: James Webb Space Telescope

Bonus fact: Webb produced one of the most detailed exoplanet atmospheric spectra yet obtained.

Which molecule was detected clearly in WASP-39b's atmosphere by the James Webb Space Telescope?

Answer: Carbon dioxide

Bonus fact: The detection was an important demonstration of Webb's ability to identify atmospheric chemistry on distant worlds.

Which space telescope has studied K2-18b's atmosphere in detail?

Answer: James Webb Space Telescope

Bonus fact: Webb detected carbon-bearing molecules and helped sharpen questions about the planet's composition.

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