Even though each individual balloon mission could only last a few days to a few months, they could reach altitudes far higher than any ground-based observatory - all for a fraction of the cost of space-based missions. Since that initial test, balloons have provided a unique window into the wider universe.
U.S. NAVAL OBSERVATORY DISK MAP MOON MOVIE
Featuring a 12-inch primary mirror and a 35mm movie camera, Schwarzschild used the floating observatory to study turbulence in the Sun’s photosphere from 80,000 feet (24.4 kilometers) above Earth’s surface. In 1957, the pioneering astrophysicist Martin Schwarzschild designed the Stratoscope I, the first balloon-borne observatory. Step 2: Attach a telescope to said balloon. Step 1: Build a giant balloon, something capable of getting tens of thousands of feet above the Earth. So, with too much air to do decent astronomy on the ground, and not enough money to consistently do it in space, there’s one form of observatory that is gaining more and more traction - the balloon. But they do have one serious drawback: Pound-for-pound, space telescopes are orders of magnitude more expensive than any other type of telescope.
Such orbiting observatories have already provided a wealth of data about the wider universe. The most straightforward response to this challenge (other than depleting our atmosphere and making Earth an airless world) to is send our telescopes into the vacuum of outer space. Infrared, too, is easily absorbed, drastically limiting our view of the cosmos. But other wavelengths aren’t so lucky.Īny photons that are especially energetic - like gamma rays, X-rays, and most ultraviolet rays - get stopped dead in their tracks when they encounter our atmosphere. Radio waves, which are invisible to us, also handily slosh through our atmosphere. But that’s because our eyes are adapted to the visible wavelengths of light that sail right through our air. To human eyes, the atmosphere looks as clear as, well, day. Not only does the atmosphere scatter light from distant sources, making detailed observations difficult, but also the atoms and molecules in the air between us and space are fantastic at absorbing large portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. But for the astronomer, it’s simply a nuisance. Sure, the atmosphere may provide living creatures on our planet with plenty of air to breathe. But if anyone had bothered to ask an astronomer, they would know we’ve been attaching telescopes to balloons for decades - and the technique even represents the latest cutting edge in NASA research. The recent episodes of jet fighters shooting down spy balloons has everyone talking about how they can be used for surveillance.
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