While we can’t see radio waves, radio astronomy also suffers from an increase of light pollution.
Radio Quiet Zone
If a typical mobile phone was placed on the surface of Mars, it would be the brightest radio object in the night sky.
How Does Interferometry Work?
One of the more powerful techniques of radio astronomy is the use of interferometry to combine the signals of several radio antennas into a single virtual telescope. Through interferometry we can make radio images with resolutions greater than that of the Hubble telescope. But how does interferometry work?
The Listeners
The Breakthrough Listen project, funded by Russian billionaire Yuri Milner, will use radio and optical observatories to listen for messages from alien civilizations.
Dusty Scales
Dust grains tend to emit radio signals with wavelengths around their own size. This fact allows us to study the types of dust being formed in early planetary systems.
The Sound of Creation
The cosmic microwave background can be converted to sound, just as a radio converts radio waves to sound. The result is the sound of the big bang.
What’s Cooking
Perytons are short bursts of radio waves detected by the Parkes radio telescope. They may be caused by astronomers hungry for a quick dinner.
Messages From Home
There’s something strange about fast radio bursts, but they are not a message from aliens.
Marking Time
Radio astronomy is so precise that by observing quasars we can measure not only changes in Earth’s rotation, but also tectonic drift between radio telescopes.