Most short-wavelength ultraviolet radiation is blocked by our atmosphere, correct?
So... why haven't we launched at least one large, dedicated mid-to-short wavelength UV Space Telescope?
Are we planning one??
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
6
-
1$\begingroup$ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraviolet_astronomy $\endgroup$– MithoronCommented Nov 21 at 14:09
-
3$\begingroup$ Large? You mean like Hubble, or Webb? Thing is, ordinary mirrors don't work for EUV. $\endgroup$– MithoronCommented Nov 21 at 14:12
-
3$\begingroup$ Large ? So not IUE, EUVE or Galex? $\endgroup$– ProfRobCommented Nov 21 at 14:36
-
1$\begingroup$ @ProfRob Or FUSE, OAO, and several others that were not "large". $\endgroup$– David HammenCommented Nov 21 at 14:47
-
1$\begingroup$ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spektr-UV - a Russian project of big dedicated near-uv space telescope. But, as most of Roscosmos projects - don't be surprised if it will never be built because of low funding and lack of technical readiness. $\endgroup$– HeoppsCommented Nov 25 at 10:51
|
Show 1 more comment
1 Answer
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
3
So... why haven't we launched at least one large, dedicated mid-to-short wavelength UV Space Telescope?
Why dedicated? And why large? Large space telescopes are expensive and compete with other space exploration programs for rather limited space exploration budgets.
That said, the Hubble Space Telescope (which definitely qualifies as a large space telescope) does have multiple instruments that observe in the near ultraviolet. The Hubble is of course not dedicated to UV, but it does observe in the UV.
In addition, the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) satellite was a space telescope that was dedicated to observing in the far ultraviolet. It had its original budget of \$250 million slashed by half, and as a result the frequencies it observed were reduced, but it did observe in the far UV for over eight years.
Are we planning one?
The Large Ultraviolet Optical Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR) is currently in the evaluation/competition stage. Note well: This proposed space telescope is not dedicated to UV. It has already been proposed and approved for that next step to evaluation and competition. It has not yet been approved for funding for development, construction, launch, and operation. If funded, it will be launched in the late 2030s. That's another problem with large space telescopes: It takes a long time (decades) to go from concept to launch.
answered Nov 21 at 14:39
-
$\begingroup$ There was also GALEX, which was a UV imaging telescope with a slightly larger mirror (50cm) than each of the 4 mirrors (35x39cm) used by FUSE's spectrographs. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 23 at 7:23
-
1$\begingroup$ There is perhaps less motivation to observe UV than longer or shorter wavelengths. Beyond the Lyman limit, even a tiny bit of hydrogen in the path blocks the light, so many interesting objects can't be observed. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 23 at 18:54
-
$\begingroup$ for those interested, there's also more available about LUVOIR in Space SE: space.stackexchange.com/search?q=LUVOIR $\endgroup$– uhohCommented Nov 24 at 2:35