This month is going to be an amazing month for stargazing.

Between the Taurid Meteor Shower on the 11^th, the “Super-Duper Moon” on the 14^th, and the appearance of Mercury and Saturn in the sky on the 23^rd, there’s certainly plenty to see.

As long as the sky’s clear!

This is all right up my alley. One of my favorite courses in college was astronomy. We studied the sky and the instruments we use to better see its beauty.

Nerd alert: I looked forward to doing the homework each night. I even bought some astronomy books after the class was over.

Needless to say, I’m really excited about what’s going on in the cosmos this month! Particularly, the super-duper moon. This is going to be the closest super moon in decades! The last time it was this close was in 1948, and it won’t happen again until Thanksgiving weekend of 2034. I cannot wait.

Neither can you? Great! So, you’ll want to make sure you get your telescope out to make the most of the amazing sky this month, yes? Good. Same here. And, you guessed it: telescopes contain petroleum products. Let’s talk about it:

The Beginning

Telescopes have been around for over 400 years, helping humans to see the stars more clearly. The first telescope invention is credited to a Hans Lippershey of the Netherlands. He created the refracting telescope, which we often associate with pirates these days. Galileo’s instrument was the first to actually be called a “telescope.”

Galileo made many of his famous discoveries aided by the telescope. Among those, he discovered that the sun rotates on its axis and the existence of Jupiter’s moons.  Aided by the telescope, he changed the way everyone looked at the stars.

However, the more “practical” version—the one we use today—was invented by the famous Sir Isaac Newton.

How they Work

A typical telescope you’d use today is considered a reflecting telescope, or reflector. These use one or more curved mirrors to reflect light to the eyepiece. Today, aluminum coating is applied to the mirror to make it last longer. This was an addition made just in the mid-20^th century.

The lens of a telescope must contain zero imperfections in order to provide a crisp and clear image. However, just the surface of the mirror needs to be perfect as it is only reflecting the image to the lens.

So… where’s the petroleum? Are lubricants involved here, too?

A typical telescope that most people own for stargazing at home is made of plastic (cough, cough… petroleum).

The body of the telescope is typically made from ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) plastic. And butadiene is petroleum based.

And yes, lubricants are involved, too. There’s nothing more frustrating that trying to turn and focus your telescope on a point in the sky, only to have it jerk and move unsteadily. It greatly affects the viewing experience.

So, lubricants can be used to make the telescope mount move more smoothly. You’ll want to make sure you use a lubricant that can stand up to the cold, otherwise it will stick and dry, like glue in some cases.

Lubricants and petroleum. They’re everywhere, folks. They’re here for the commercial production of one of the greatest tools to come from discoveries that changed the way we look at the world and the universe, and they’re still doing it today. Soon, a team of super-powered telescopes will work to capture the first image of a massive dark void at the Milky Way’s center. These instruments enable us to see into the depths of space and work is constantly being made to better them and see further into space. Now go outside, armed with your telescope, and take in the beauty of the universe.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_telescope
http://www.madehow.com/Volume-2/Telescope.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrylonitrile_butadiene_styrene
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflecting_telescope
http://wpri.com/blog/2016/11/02/closest-super-moon-in-decades-on-november-14th/
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-equipment/the-art-of-using-a-telescope/