Radio telescope
Detecting the invisible universe through radio waves.
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Photograph by Mike Peel ( www.mikepeel.net ). · CC BY-SA 4.0
These instruments are the primary observing tools in radio astronomy, studying the radio frequency portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.[1] Radio telescopes observe the longest wavelengths of light, ranging from 1 millimeter to over 10 meters long.[2] A specialized antenna and receiver designed to pick up radio waves emitted by celestial objects is what a radio telescope is.[1]
Key facts and history
FAST's 500-meter dish is built into a natural karst depression in Guizhou province and cannot move.[3] The Square Kilometre Array (SKA), the world's largest physically connected telescope, is planned to start operations in 2027.[4] Technological advancements from World War II radar systems were subsequently adapted for use in post-war radio astronomy.[5] China completed the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) in 2016, which holds the record as the globe's biggest filled-aperture radio telescope.[3]
What the cited sources add
The Space.com account states that FAST's dish is the size of 30 football fields and is by far the largest single-aperture telescope in the world.[6] FAST Project chief scientist Nan Rendong said the telescope's scientific impact on astronomy will be extraordinary, according to Xinhua.[6] The "What are Radio Telescopes?" account explains that radio telescopes are the largest telescopes in the world because radio waves are so long and cosmic sources are extremely weak.[2] The same source notes that the most versatile and powerful type of radio telescope is the parabolic dish antenna.[2]
Modern radio telescopes observe a large number of frequencies all at once, with computers dividing the frequency band into thousands of separate channels.[2] The ability of a radio telescope to distinguish fine detail, called angular resolution, depends on the wavelength of observations divided by the size of the antenna.[2]
References
- Wikipedia, "Radio telescope" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Marr, "Fundamentals of Radio Astronomy: Observational Methods", CRC Press, 2015, p. 21–24; "Britannica Concise Encyclopedia", Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2008, p. 1583; Verschuur, "The Invisible Universe: The Story of Radio Astronomy", Springer Science & Business Media, 2007, p. 8–10 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "What are Radio Telescopes?". facts only, no text reused. public.nrao.edu
- Wikipedia, "Radio telescope" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "China Exclusive: China starts building world's largest radio telescope", English.peopledaily.com.cn, 2008-12-26 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Radio telescope" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "New Zealand pulls out of the Square Kilometre Array after benefits questioned", Physics World, 4 July 2019; Wiegert, "SKA telescope gets its '1st fringes'", earthsky.org, 2024-09-24 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Radio telescope" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sullivan, W.T. (1984). The Early Years of Radio Astronomy. Cambridge University Press. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "China Finishes Building World's Largest Radio Telescope", Space.com, 2016-07-06. facts only, no text reused. space.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Radio telescope (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Radio telescope (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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