How are space photos taken? Kuya Kim explains

The United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recently shared photos taken by the James Webb Space Telescope showing stars and galactic clusters, some dating back to 13.1 billion light years away.

As reported by Kuya Kim on “24 Oras” Friday, space images are important in studying the universe, according to the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA).

“Kapag pinapanood natin ang mga galaxies, ang mga stars, tinitingnan natin ang history, para maaral natin ang mga posibleng mangyari sa atin,” said PhilSA’s Dr. Paul Leonard Hilario.

PhilSA hopes to create a breakthrough with another Filipino-made satellite, like Diwata-2, an earth observation micro satellite.

Diwata-2 has an “amateur radio unit” which can be deployed when communication infrastructure breaks down. It can also take pictures of the earth.

Before Diwata-2, there was of course Diwata-1, the first locally made micro satellite. It was launched at International Space Station in March 2016 and deployed into orbit the following month.

Diwata-1 had four cameras used to take images for scientific earth observation. Before returning to earth in 2020, Diwata-1 had taken photos of over 114,087 sq km of the Philippines and 45,000 images of the planet.

However, with just a 35-mm camera, the first photo of the earth was taken on Oct. 24, 1946.

Meanwhile, the earth’s most popular photo, known as the Blue Marble, was taken by astronauts when they returned to the Moon in 1970.

Astrophotography or astronomical imaging refers to the practice of taking photos of astronomical objects or celestial events. – RC, GMA News