- Question 3:
- Explain how the new instruments, COS and WFC3, will boost Hubble's scientific power.
- Answer:
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COS will examine ultraviolet light streaming from distant objects. The new instrument will allow Hubble to study galaxy formation and the births of stars and planetary systems. COS will complete observations much faster than Hubble’s previous spectrograph.
WFC3 will greatly improve Hubble’s ability to image large and distant objects, such as galaxies and clusters of galaxies, as well as planets in our solar system. WFC3 will allow Hubble to see objects that are about five times fainter than Hubble’s landmark deep view of the cosmos, called the Hubble Deep Field, taken in 1996 with WFPC2.
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