Editing Space telescope (section)

{{Short description|Instrument in space to study astronomical objects}}
{{More citations needed|date=November 2023}}
[[File:Wavelength Sensitivity of Hubble, Webb, Roman, and Other Observatories (01FEBQTM8Y4FESTQ4N2AFQDBXH).jpg|thumb|upright=1.8|Wavelength sensitivity of Hubble, Webb, Roman, and other major observatories]]
[[File:HST-SM4.jpeg|thumb|The [[Hubble Space Telescope]], one of the [[Great Observatories program|Great Observatories]]]]
A '''space telescope''' (also known as '''space observatory''') is a [[telescope]] in outer space used to observe astronomical objects. Suggested by [[Lyman Spitzer]] in 1946, the first operational telescopes were the American [[Orbiting Astronomical Observatory]], [[OAO-2]] launched in 1968, and the Soviet [[Orion (space telescope)|Orion 1 ultraviolet telescope]] aboard space station [[Salyut 1]] in 1971. Space telescopes avoid several problems caused by the atmosphere, including the absorption or scattering of certain wavelengths of light, obstruction by clouds, and distortions due to atmospheric refraction such as [[twinkling]]. Space telescopes can also observe dim objects during the daytime, and they avoid [[light pollution]] which [[Observatory#Ground-based observatories|ground-based observatories]] encounter. They are divided into two types: Satellites which map the entire sky ([[astronomical survey]]), and satellites which focus on selected [[astronomical object]]s or parts of the sky and beyond. Space telescopes are distinct from [[Earth imaging satellite]]s, which point toward Earth for [[satellite imaging]], applied for [[Weather satellite|weather analysis]], [[Reconnaissance satellite|espionage]], and [[Remote sensing|other types of information gathering]].