Hubblecast 20 Special: Technology to the rescue

Progress in telescopic astronomy would have come to a grinding halt in the second half of the twentieth century if it weren't for the digital revolution. Powerful computers have enabled a wealth of new technologies that have resulted in the construction of giant telescopes, perched on high mountaintops with monolithic or segmented mirrors as large as swimming pools. Astronomers have even devised clever ways of undoing the distorting effects of atmospheric turbulence and of combining individual telescope mirrors into virtual behemoths with unsurpassed eyesight. The optical wizardry of 21st century telescope building has ushered in a completely new era of ground-based astronomical discovery.

Credit:

ESA/Hubble (M. Kornmesser & L. L. Christensen)

Visual design & Editing: Martin Kornmesser

Animations: Martin Kornmesser & Luis Calçada

Web Technical Support: Lars Holm Nielsen & Raquel Yumi Shida

Written by: Govert Schilling & Lars Lindberg Christensen

Host: Dr. J

Narration: Howard Cooper & Bob Fosbury

Cinematography: Peter Rixner

Music: movetwo

Footage and photos: Scott Kardel; W. M. Keck Observatory/Photo credit: Rick Peterson ¸ 2007; Large Binocular Telescope Observatory (Ray Bertram), the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory Mirror Laboratory; Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope / Coelum; ESO/NTT; NASA/JPL-Caltech; NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration and A. Evans (University of Virginia, Charlottesville/NRAO/Stony Brook University), CFHT (Jean-Charles Cuillandre); K. Noll (STScI), and J. Westphal (Caltech); ESO; Stephane Guisard/ESO; NOAO; Michael Richmond, Creative Commons License; Gemini Observatory/AURA/Kirk Pu'uohau-Pummill); Photo courtesy of Large Binocular Telescope Observatory/Marc-Andre Besel and Wiphu Rujopakarn/John Hill/Aaron Ceranski (Photographers); ESA/Hubble (M. Kornmesser & L. L. Christensen); TWAN (Babak Tafreshi).

Directed by: Lars Lindberg Christensen