Monday, March 10, 2008

Hubble Space Telescope: A Great Satellite


Since the Hubble Telescope is circling the earth on its orbit, is it considered a satellite too – just like the moon?

It puzzles me on whether the Hubble Space Telescope is a satellite or not, so let us first define the meaning of the word.

The very first time I got acquainted with the word satellite was in the phrase “weather satellite,” as it was frequently mentioned in most evening news programs.

Then there was the Russian Satellite Sputnik, which was considered an artificial space object actually meant to orbit the planet Earth.

So, this means that a celestial object or body circling or orbiting the earth (usually the case) or any other large space body is considered a satellite.

So again, is the Hubble Telescope also one? Primarily a celestial astronomical telescope, the Hubble Space Telescope observes the Earth and its atmosphere, as well as other space objects as it orbits around the planet.

Therefore, aside from the fact that it is an astronomy telescope that makes scientific observations and takes space pictures, it can also be said that the Hubble Telescope is a satellite, an artificial one at that. (Photo Credit: NASA)

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