2021-12-132021-12-131993https://dc.statelibrary.sc.gov/handle/10827/41829Why are space observatories important? The answer goes beyond twinkling stars in the night sky. Pockets of cold and hot air in Earth's atmosphere act as a hazy veil that many visible rays of light cannot penetrate. The atmosphere absorbs the majority of radiation from celestial bodies and distorts the types of light that do reach Earth's surface. Some types of radiation (like gamma rays) seldom reach Earth's surface. The radiation that Earth's atmosphere absorbs and distorts limits scientists' observations of stars, galaxies, and other celestial bodies. Even the most powerful ground based observatories can collect only a limited amount of data, but observatories in space collect data free from the distortion of Earth's atmosphere.application/pdfDocumentPublic Domain. For more information contact, South Carolina State Library, 1500 Senate Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29201.United States--National Aeronautics and Space Administration--Juvenile literatureHubble Space Telescope (Spacecraft)Compton ObservatoryObservatories--Models--Study and teaching--United States--Juvenile literatureOrbiting astronomical observatories--ModelsModels and modelmakingUnited States--National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationObservatories--Study and teaching--ModelsScienceNASA's Great Observatories : Paper Model KitsText