Ground Observations

Pros and cons of observing from the ground.

  • Pros
    • It's easy for people to reach the telescope, to mend things that break, or improve the telescope over time.
    • The observer can control the telescope in real time and change plans flexibly if something exciting happens.
  • Cons
    • Atmosphere - only certain wavelength bands can get through the Earth's atmosphere, so you are limited to observing in visible light (400-700 nm) or radio (1mm +).
      Graphic showing how wavelength bands penetrate the atmosphere

    • Weather - clouds can block out the visible light from stars (but not radio)

      Picture of cloudy sky

    • Light pollution - city lights (and Starlink satellites!) can interfere with visible-light observations. Civilisation makes a lot of radio noise, too.

      image of city lights from ISS image of Starlink trails across a starfield

  • Except at very high latitudes, the night is only so long, and for visible light this limits how long you can observe in one session.

    Infographic showing axial tilt and seasons



    • I want to observe from the ground!
    Hmmm...let me see the other options