Radio Astronomy

Radio Astronomy - For most of us, the idea of astronomy is something we directly connect to “stargazing”, telescopes and seeing magnificent displays in the heavens. And to be sure, that is the exciting area of astronomy that accounts for it’s huge popularity. So to the uninitiated, the idea of “radio astronomy” seems strange. There are two reasons for that. First is that humans are far more visual than audio oriented. And the second is that radio astronomy doesn’t really involve “listening” to the cosmos except to the extent that scientists who use this sophisticated form of “stargazing” do not rely on visual study to conduct their work.

To appreciate what is really exciting about radio astronomy, first we have to shift how we view astronomy. That is because to professional astronomers, studying the universe is more about frequencies than it is about visual documentation of phenomenon. This takes us back to Physics 101.

Light, obviously, is the physical phenomenon that empowers our ability to use our visual confirmation system, e.g. our eyes to appreciate something, in this case the stars. So when we look up at the heavens, we can see the light emitting from a star or reflecting from a planet or moon. In many cases, if we see a far away star, we are actually seeing it hundreds or thousands of years ago because that is how long it takes for that light to cross the universe and be visible in our sky. That alone is a pretty mind blowing idea.

Now light itself is a pretty strange substance. But to our astronomy scientists, light is just another energy that exists in a certain frequency. Now, we tend to think of frequencies when we talk about sound waves. In scientific terms light, energy and sound are just a few forms of the same thing, frequencies of energy that are emulating from a source. 

Now we get to why radio astronomy is so necessary. The range of frequency that light occupies in the big spectrum of frequencies is really pretty small. To put that more bluntly, we can only “see” a tiny part of the universe that is actually there. Now when you look up in the night sky and it is so overwhelming, when you then that we are seeing just a tiny amount of what is actually going on up there, again, our minds can get pretty overwhelmed.

Radio astronomy uses sophisticated sensor equipment to study ALL of the frequencies of energy coming to us from the cosmos. In that way, these scientists can “see” everything that is going on out there and so get a precise idea of how the stars look, behave now and will behave in the future.

For some of us who have heard about radio astronomy, we think of it in terms of “listening” for signs of life in the universe. And yes, SETI, or “the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence” is a part of radio astronomy, albeit a tiny part. But of much greater importance is how radio astronomy has empowered serious astronomers (that is those who get paid to do it) to study stars many light years away, to study black holes which we could never see with our telescopes and to gather research and data about the whole of the universe that otherwise would be impossible to know and understand.

This is important work that is constantly ongoing in the world of astronomy. It is worth keeping up with and learning more about as we have barely scratched the surface in our brief discussion today. But understanding how important radio astronomy is will only deepen and make more meaningful your love and grasp of this big field of knowledge known as astronomy.

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You’re Getting a Telescope!

Dude, You’re Getting a Telescope! - You might remember the Dell computer commercials in which a youth reports this exciting news to his friends that they are about to get their new computer by telling them, “Dude, you’re getting a Dell!”  It was a cute series but it reflects the excitement young people get about anything new, particularly if it’s a new machine.

So when its time to finally get your children that very first telescope, you want to make sure it’s just the right thing.  There are a number of reasons you should put some serious thought into just what this beginner telescope should look like.  Perhaps this will be your children’s first experience with a real telescope.  They may have a healthy and thriving love of astronomy from your family trips to the country to watch a meteor shower or just to gaze at the stars.  And you may have piqued their interest showing them how to enhance the experience with binoculars or even letting them play with your telescope.

But this is a big moment.  You want them to “bond” with this first telescope the way you did and catch the excitement of using the power of a telescope to do things with their love of astronomy that they could never do before.  The reasons for taking care with your choice are many including…

• A telescope is a big step into the lifelong hobby of astronomy.  If they get the wrong thing, frustration could make them lose interest both in the machine and in the field of study.
• Kids have a short attention span.  You want this beginner telescope to take them from where they are to the next level while giving them those gratifying moments discovering new things in the stars every time they use it.  
• It has to be a hardy piece of equipment.  Kids don’t always know how to treat delicate equipment.  So the starter telescope should have some good “training wheels” on it.
• It has to be their teacher even when they don’t know they are in school.  A good beginner telescope, accompanied by some stimulating documentation that is written just for kids will stimulate their excitement and use it to teach them to work hard to reach new heights in their quest for knowledge about the stars.

A lot about how you go about getting this first telescope will depend on your own expertise in astronomy.  If it is your passion and you have developed a pretty sophisticated knowledge about telescopes over the years, you not only are well equipped to make this choice but you will be there to guide them as they begin to use it.

But if you are just encouraging them in a wonderful hobby that you yourself have not been involved with in depth, first of all, congratulations.  You are giving them a wonderful gift of not only knowledge but the love of astronomy and the natural wonder of nature.  But you also need some help.  So here are some quick guidelines.

• Find the astronomy geeks.  They are easy to find in hobby shops, astronomy clubs and societies at the local college.  They will help you enthusiastically.
• Look at the telescope you are considering through their eyes.  It should not be too complex.  Don’t get something that will intimidate them.
• Don’t buy a toy.  Your kids will know the difference.
• Make sure it can grow and be expanded as their knowledge expands.

If you put some wise consideration into just the right starter telescope, your kids will be as excited they have ever been for a gift.  Don’t be surprised if you hear one of them squeal, “Dude, you got a telescope!”

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A Great Alternative

Astronomy Binoculars – A Great Alternative - It seems from the moment you begin to take your love of astronomy seriously, the thing that is on your mind is what kind of telescope will you get.  And there is no question, investing in a good telescope can really enhance your enjoyment of your new passion in astronomy.  But don’t be too hasty to keep up with the big wigs in the astronomy clubs that have advanced telescopes.  There is another alternative that can give you most of the advantages of a telescope and some extra flexibility and reduced cost to boot. 

That alternative is a good pair of astronomy binoculars.  Mostly we think of binoculars as the thing you use to see the football game when you have to sit in the cheap seats.  But if you do some homework and had a good grasp on what your stargazing objectives are, the advantages of astronomy binoculars over an entry level telescope can be pretty convincing.

• As a rule, they are cheaper.  So you can get a lot of good stargazing at much less of an investment.  You can always spend more money later but for now, this may be just the solution for you.

• There are not so many accessories.  To own and operate a telescope takes a lot of orientation to how to set up and use the device.  Beyond that, tuning it for optimum view and diagnosing it when you have problems can sometimes make the telescope more of the passion than stargazing itself.
• It is much easier to use.  If you have not bought a telescope yet, you may have seen telescope owners going through a laborious set up and break down discipline for each use.  This is time they are not looking at the stars.  The binocular users are happily stargazing as this goes on.
• Binoculars are lightweight and portable.  Unless you have the luxury to set up and operate an observatory from your deck, you are probably going to travel to perform your viewings.  Binoculars go with you much easier and they are more lightweight to carry to the country and use while you are there than a cumbersome telescope set up kit.

So give the binocular option some consideration.  To make the most effective choice, however, here are a few facts about astronomy binoculars that will help you evaluate which ones are best for you…

Binoculars have two lens sets, one at the end of the eyepiece and a set right next to your eyes.  The ones closest to the eye are called the ocular lenses which magnify the image (make it bigger).  The ones closest to the sky are called the objective lenses and the size of these lenses will determine how much sky you can see at once.  So anytime you are evaluating binoculars, there are two numbers associated with the set.  So if the binoculars have a rating of 15-40, that means that the ocular lenses magnify 15 times and the later number is a relative number to how much of the sky you can see.  The higher the second number, the more you can see.  The explanation is simple.  The bigger the lens, the more light it lets in.  But be aware that the bigger the second number, the larger, heavier and more cumbersome the binoculars will be.

You will have to balance these two numbers with both your budget and what you want the binoculars to do for you.  If you decide to go with a lower power binoculars, you could become frustrated with what you can see and you may have to take your eyes away from the view to get your orientation and consult the star map more often because your range of vision is so limited.

There will also be a temptation to buy a set of binoculars that have zoom functions and other features that will allow you to use it for other purposes such as hunting, whale watching or seeing the football game from the cheap seats.  While this is good economy, those functions will get in the way when you are using the binoculars for astronomy.  So if you are considering this purchase as your alternative to buying a telescope, our advice is buy binoculars made just for astronomy and don’t take them to the ball game.

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