Eye Beyond the Sky: 27 Telescopes and Space Probes, from Hooker to JWST (Astronomers' Universe)

This book highlights stories of the most important 13 ground-based observatories and 14 space probes in human history, leading readers through each significant step of human’s astronomical observation journey. From the earliest Hooker Telescope and the Mount Wilson Observatory, to the latest FAST, JWST and DAMPE, the targets of observation range from large systems such as the solar system, the milky way, and the universe, to individual planets such as Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, and the remote stars, and to the matters that reveal the origin of the universe, such as dark matter and cosmic background radiation. The book presents the mysteries of the sky in an easily readable manner suitable for audiences of all ages who are curious about the universe and thirsty to know all the important discoveries in the past century, especially the last decade. With carefully-selected contents, the book weaves together a series of tales to make the convoluted history of astronomical observation full offun and excitement, ensuring that readers never lose interest during reading. Contents 1 Mount Wilson Observatory: A Surprising Discovery that Kept Einstein Awake at Night Mount Wilson Observatory References 2 Parkes Radio Telescope: When a Star Shines with a More Intense Light than a Galaxy Parkes Radio Telescope References 3 “Big Ear” Telescope: A Possible Alien Civilization’s “Wow!” Signal “Big Ear” Telescope References 4 European Southern Observatory: The Reigning King of Optical Telescopes European Southern Observatory References 5 Arecibo Telescope: On the Radio Telescope Throne for Four Decades Arecibo Telescope References 6 Mauna Kea Observatories: Creator of Space–Time Magic Mauna Kea Observatories References 7 RATAN-600: The Lord Ring Staring at Sky RATAN-600 References 8 The Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA): A Veteran Super Array The Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array References 9 LAMOST: Numerous Stars at a Glance LAMOST References 10 The ALMA Telescope in Chile: Witness to the Birth and Death in the Universe The ALMA Telescope in Chile References 11 China’s “Eye of Heaven” (FAST): The New King Taking Its Place Atop Radio Telescope China’s “Eye of Heaven” (FAST) References 12 Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO): Contributing to the Resolution of a Century-Long Mystery Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) References 13 Square Kilometer Array (SKA): The Upcoming Storm in Astronomy Square Kilometer Array (SKA) References 14 Viking Program: Exploration of the Red Planet Viking Program References 15 Mars Exploration Rovers (MER): Spirit and Opportunity Outweighed Their Capabilities Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) References 16 Voyager Program: Around the Solar System and Beyond Voyager Program References 17 Cassini-Huygens: The World of Rings and Ice Cassini-Huygens References 18 Stardust Comet Mission: Capturing Cometary Matter Stardust Comet Mission References 19 SOlar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO): Living with a Restless Star SOlar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) References 20 Hipparcos (HIgh Precision PARallax COllecting Satellite): Measuring the Milky Way Hipparcos (HIgh Precision PARallax COllecting Satellite) References 21 Spitzer Space Telescope: Revealing the Galaxy’s Chilling Nature Spitzer Space Telescope References 22 Chandra X-ray Observatory: Probing into a Violent Universe Chandra X-ray Observatory References 23 Hubble Space Telescope: Permanently Changing the Way We See the Universe Hubble Space Telescope References 24 WMAP (Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe): Revealing Our Universe in Its Infancy WMAP (Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe) References 25 DAMPE: DArk Matter Particle Explorer DAMPE References 26 JWST (James Webb Space Telescope): The Most Expensive Space Telescope in History JWST References 27 CHASE (Chinese Hα Solar Explorer): China’s First Solar Exploration Satellite CHASE References