The Space Shuttle Atlantis moves away from Hubble after the telescope’s release on May 19, 2009 concluded Servicing Mission 4. The Soft Capture Mechanism,
a ring that a future robotic mission can grapple in order to de-orbit the telescope, is visible in the center. Credit: NASA
p = Fp – Md
= 5.52 – 4.91 = 0.61 m
Therefore,
eFt = Fp * q / p
= (5.52) (6.41) / (0.61) = 58.0 m
Conclusion
Our calculation of 58.0 m is very close to the published
figure of 57.6 m. This means that we can indeed fit a
telescope with a large Focal Length inside a smaller cylindrical length. Sometimes great things really do come in
small packages!
This also means that the HST magnifies the Primary
Mirror Focal Length by a factor of t n.Holy Hubble Cone
stant, Batman! No wonder it can see so far.
Despite its rough start, the HST has certainly earned its
place in history, not only through the efforts of teams of
people acting as one to give us mind–altering images of
the Universe, but also by the use of clever mirror reflection techniques that allowed us to reach back even further in time and space.
Happy 25th Anniversary, Hubble Space Telescope!