Ultraviolet, optical and infrared astronomy

NOV 01, 1982

A 15‐m telescope on the ground and a far‐ultraviolet spectrograph and 10‐m infrared telescope in orbit would complement projects already planned and give us totally new insight into the nature of the universe.

DOI: 10.1063/1.2914847

E. Joseph Wampler

While it is possible to trace the history of ultraviolet, optical and infrared astronomy to an era before that of the pre‐Christian Greek astronomers at Alexandria, the field is not as static as this maturity might suggest. The flowering of space astronomy and the orders‐of‐magnitude improvement in detector technology give us exploratory capabilities that are as revolutionary as the invention of the telescope. Decades from now the 1970s will be remembered as a turning point in our understanding of the universe.

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References

1. Astronomy Survey Committee, Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 1980’s. Volume 1: Report of the Astronomy Survey Committee, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. (1982).

More about the authors

E. Joseph Wampler, University of California, Santa Cruz.