Telescopes are placed in space to view distant galaxies primarily to

Telescopes are placed in space primarily to overcome the limitations imposed by Earth's atmosphere. The atmosphere acts as a barrier that absorbs and scatters electromagnetic radiation across various wavelengths, including ultraviolet, X-ray, and infrared. This absorption makes certain celestial phenomena invisible to ground-based observers. Additionally, atmospheric turbulence causes 'seeing' or the blurring of images, which limits the resolution and clarity of observations. While space telescopes also avoid light pollution and weather interruptions, their fundamental advantage is the ability to observe the universe across the full electromagnetic spectrum without atmospheric interference. Option 1 is incorrect because the distance gained by orbiting Earth is negligible compared to the vast distances of galaxies. Option 4 is incorrect as steering against Earth's motion is a technical challenge easily managed by ground-based tracking systems.

Sources

1. [1] https://ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in/phyp06/chapter/telescopes-and-observations/