Lesson: Telescopes Physics • 9th Grade

In this lesson, we will learn how to explain the way that telescopes are used to observe distant objects.

Lesson Plan

Students will be able to

recall that telescopes can form images by reflection from mirrors and by refraction through lenses,
describe light ray paths in reflecting and refracting telescopes,
describe the comparison between a view as seen through a telescope and as seen by the naked eye,
identify factors that would improve the effectiveness of a telescope,
qualitatively compare radio telescopes to optical telescopes.

Q1:

Which of the following would improve the imaging abilities of a reflecting telescope?

Q2:

Which of the following would be the best location for a telescope used to study objects very far from Earth?

Q3:

Which of the following would improve the imaging abilities of a refracting telescope?