Subaru Telescope

About Subaru Telescope:

• It is a Japanese 8.2-metre (27-foot) optical-infrared telescope.
• It is located on the dormant volcano Mauna Kea (4,163 metres) on the island of Hawaii.
• The telescope is named for the Japanese name for the Pleiades and is operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.
• Construction on Subaru began in 1992, and the first observations were made in 1999.
• An adaptive optics system consisting of 261 actuators can change the shape of the mirror so that it is not affected by deformations caused by gravity.
• Its powerful light-collecting capability can capture weak light from celestial objects. 
• To minimize air turbulence near the telescope, the dome that surrounds the telescope is cylindrical instead of a hemisphere, as is the case with most other observatories. 
• The Subaru Telescope has observed various celestial bodies, from nearby shooting stars to galaxies located 13.1 billion light years away.

Q1: What is an infrared telescope?

An infrared telescope is an instrument designed to detect and resolve infrared radiation from sources outside Earth’s atmosphere such as nebulae, young stars, and gas and dust in other galaxies.

News: Subaru Telescope captures spectacular pair of interacting galaxies