What is an orbiting astronomical observatory?
An astronomical observatory, of course, is a special building for studying the heavens. We cannot send the huge structure and its teams of experts into orbit. But we can send up a small satellite to do some of its observing and there are many good reasons why we should. Our cosmic information is gathered at ground stations that house telescopes, radio telescopes and a lot of other astronomical instruments. These major observatories are high on mountains around the world. We depend upon them for such practical information as the correct time of day. Their teams of experts report positions of the moons and planets of our Solar System. They also gather information about our starry neighbors near and far in the Milky Way. And they probe much farther to piece together a picture of the infinite universe beyond our Galaxy. This is a large order and an important one. In the present century the advances in astronomy have been astounding, but the work could go even faster. Observatories on the g
