Is There Really A Telescope That You Can Look Through To See Across The Ocean Into Europe?

Question

I heard this on the news recently and was wondering if it were for real and if anyone actually looked though it.

Answer 1

Its not a telescp[e its a telectroscope and its realllllyyyyy biggggg

Answer 2

no

Answer 3

Not with a regular direct line telescope. There is too much of curvature to the earth. Take a globe and  get eye level  with the east coast of the US looking toward Europe. Can you see Europe? No, Why? The earth is round.

The fiber optic scope that I think you are referring to compensates for the curvature, so in a sense, yes, kinda

Answer 4

The Earth is curved, so you could never see Europe from across the ocean - unless the telescope was long, curved, and went all the way to Europe.

Answer 5

This would be impossible, since the Earth curves, so even a powerful telescope wouldn't enable you to see Europe.  Except from space, of course.

Answer 6

There is.......by definition it is "technically" a telescope but its not what like the kind that you use to look into space with, it is a

fiber optic line in new york that you can look in and see london

here is the thing

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/05/...

Answer 7

No, light can't travel over the horizon to someone on the other side.  The Earth's gravity isn't strong enough to bend light like that.

Answer 8

Jazon is correct. The curvature of the Earth prevents you from seeing anything that far away.

Answer 9

The surface of the Earth is curved.  But there are telescopes and cameras in space, and the entire surface of the Earth is visible from one or another at some time or other.

If you could say more about the news article, the answers might be better.  For example, they might have said that such and such telescope has imaged some object, and the resolution is like reading the date on a dime from 5000 miles away.  These calculations usually ignore the curve of the Earth.  It's an analogy.  Analogies always break down.  If they don't then they aren't analogies - they're the thing you're talking about.

My ten inch telescope can allow me to see galaxies that are about 100,000,000 light years from the Earth, and there's a quasar over 3,000,000,000 light years away that can be spotted.  But the best detail is seen on objects much closer.

Oh, i see.  This is an art exhibit, not a functional camera.

But optics that good have been built.

Answer 10

no, the earth is round so theres definitely no way of looking across the ocean unless by using mirrors placed at spaced intervals across the ocean or by wire or fiberoptics

you would just see ocean

Answer 11

NO !!!

Answer 12

Yes, the Hubble.

Seriously, to use a telescope, you need a direct line of sight.  You need to be hundreds of miles above the surface to see Europe from the east coast of the US.

Answer 13

Wow...I just read the story from the link given. Amazing....

So since I do not have a better or more correct answer, those that follow my answers will expect "Logic's Logic"..

The great eye of Palomar in California has the capibility of seeing a match lit on the streets of London...of course providing there was no curvature of the Earth.