Why do Astronomers always want bigger telescopes?
The size of the primary mirror [or lens] of a telescope determines the amount of light that is received from a distant, faint object. Some of the most important astronomical problems are, today, in cosmology. Astronomers want to know how the galaxies, of which the Milky Way is our galaxy, were formed, when, how and why. In order to try to solve problems like these, we need to be able to analyse the light coming from the furthest and the faintest objects in the sky. The light from these objects must be fed into instruments attached to the telescopes so that the light can be analysed. For such objects we need very big telescopes. Observing from space: We have mentioned radio telescopes; these, like optical telescopes, can be used from the ground because the atmosphere transmits these sorts of radiation. There are other wavelengths, however, that are absorbed by the atmosphere and do not reach the ground. These include X-rays, the ultraviolet and the far infrared. The atmosphere also stop
