Space astronomy - an overview

An assessment is presented of advances in solar, IR, visible light, UV and X-ray astronomy resulting from or promised by, the use of spaceborne telescopy. Attention is given (1) Skylab's 1973 high-resolution X-ray and extreme UV images of the sun; (2) the importance of sunspot activity cycles to radio communications and climatic changes; (3) the application of cryogenically cooled instrumentation to IR telescopes; (4) the capabilities of the Space Shuttle-launched Space Telescope, which may be able to detect planets orbiting nearby stars; (5) the findings of such UV astronomy satellites as the IUE, TD-1 and OAO-2, as well as the all-sky survey capabilities of the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer orbiting telescope; and (6) the achievements of such spaceborne X-ray instruments as the imaging detectors and high-resolution imaging telescopes of the Einstein HEAO-2.