1. Ultraviolet Astronomy Beyond 2020.
- Author
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Postman, Marc and Mountain, Matt
- Subjects
- *
ASTRONOMY , *SPECTROSCOPE , *SPECTRUM analysis , *SPACE astronomy , *REDSHIFT - Abstract
UV astronomy has a promising long-term future if astronomers think boldly about where the next frontiers lie in this rich field. The most exciting of these frontiers involve resolving structures near or below angular scales of 20 mas and/or obtaining modest resolution spectroscopy of nanoJansky sources across the 0.11–2.5 μm wavelength range (the optical and NIR bands provide rest-UV coverage at high redshift). These challenging requirements demand large apertures in space—apertures of at least 8 meters in diameter and, by the end of 2020 decade, up to 20 meters. Incremental advances in telescope aperture are not compelling, so radical advance is needed. Fortunately, the technology needs of several communities are aligning to make large space-based optical systems affordable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2009
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