How Telescopes Work · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.
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How Telescopes Work

Science · Space Exploration · ages 7-9
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Why do space telescopes usually take clearer pictures than telescopes on the ground?

    • They are painted a special color
    • They orbit above Earth's blurry atmosphere
    • They are much heavier than ground telescopes

  2. What does a telescope help us do?

    • See faraway objects like stars and planets in more detail
    • Make objects lighter so they are easier to carry
    • Change the color of a star

  3. True or false: Earth's atmosphere can blur the view when we look at space through a telescope.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. Priya points a telescope at a distant planet. The planet looks bigger, and she can see swirling clouds on it. What did the telescope do?

    • Magnified the planet so more detail is visible
    • Moved the planet closer to Earth
    • Changed the size of the real planet

  5. Which of these is a real space telescope that orbits above Earth's atmosphere?

    • The Eiffel Tower Telescope
    • The Grand Canyon Telescope
    • The Hubble Space Telescope

  6. What does the James Webb Space Telescope help scientists do?

    • Make the Sun shine brighter
    • Spot things too dim and far away for other telescopes to see
    • Speed up how fast Earth spins

  7. The Moon has almost no thick atmosphere around it. If a telescope sat on the Moon, its pictures would probably be...

    • About as clear as a space telescope, since there is little air to blur the light
    • Impossible to take, since telescopes cannot work outside Earth
    • Blurrier than a telescope on Earth

  8. Leo says, 'Telescopes on the ground are useless, only space telescopes matter.' What is wrong with what Leo said?

    • Nothing, he is completely right
    • Space telescopes do not actually take pictures
    • Ground telescopes still work, they are just a bit blurrier because of the atmosphere
LightMySky · lightmysky.comW1-mt_-SZU6cVB_--s1

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

How Telescopes Work W1-mt_-SZU6cVB_--s1

  1. They orbit above Earth's blurry atmosphere · Ground telescopes look through moving air that blurs the light. Space telescopes orbit above that air.
  2. See faraway objects like stars and planets in more detail · A telescope magnifies distant objects, so we can see things we could never spot with just our eyes.
  3. True · The air above us is always shifting, and that bends the light a little, which blurs the picture.
  4. Magnified the planet so more detail is visible · A telescope does not move anything. It magnifies faraway objects so we can see more detail.
  5. The Hubble Space Telescope · The Hubble Space Telescope orbits Earth and has taken clear pictures of galaxies far away.
  6. Spot things too dim and far away for other telescopes to see · James Webb uses special cameras that can detect very faint, distant objects in space.
  7. About as clear as a space telescope, since there is little air to blur the light · Blur happens because of thick moving air. With little atmosphere on the Moon, the view would stay sharp, much like Hubble's.
  8. Ground telescopes still work, they are just a bit blurrier because of the atmosphere · Ground telescopes are still useful. They just cannot see quite as clearly as telescopes above the atmosphere.
Worksheet · LightMySky