Visible light is just one part of the electromagnetic spectrum that astronomers use to study the universe. The James Webb Space Telescope was built to see infrared light, and other space telescopes capture his X-ray images, allowing observatories such as the Green Bank Telescope, the Berry Large Array, the Atacama Large Millimeter Array, and others around the world. Dozens of observatories are working on the research. radio wavelength.
Radio telescopes are in trouble. All satellites, whatever their function, use radio waves to transmit information to the surface of the earth. Just as light pollution obscures the starry sky, radio transmissions can obliterate the radio waves that astronomers use to learn about black holes, newly forming stars, and the evolution of galaxies.
We are three scientists working in astronomy and radio technology. With tens of thousands of satellites expected to enter orbit in the next few years and more terrestrial use expected, the radio spectrum is congested. Radio quiet zones (usually remote areas where radio transmissions from the ground are restricted or prohibited) have protected radio astronomy in the past.
As the problem of radio pollution continues to grow, scientists, engineers, and policy makers need to understand how to effectively share a limited range of radio frequencies. One of the solutions we’ve been working on over the past few years is creating facilities where astronomers and engineers can test new technology and prevent radio interference from obscuring the night sky.
radio astronomy
EHT Collaboration
Radio waves are the longest wavelengths of radiation in the electromagnetic spectrum. That is, the distance between her two peaks in radio waves is relatively far. Radio telescopes collect radio waves with wavelengths around 1 millimeter to 1 meter.
Even if you’re not familiar with radio telescopes, you’ve probably heard about the research they do. Both fantastic first images of an accretion disk around a black hole were made by the Event Horizon Telescope. The telescope is a global network of eight radio telescopes, and each individual telescope that makes up the Event Horizon Telescope is located in a radio-quiet location with little radio interference.
A radio quiet zone is an area where terrestrial transmitters, such as cell towers, must have reduced power levels so as not to affect sensitive radio equipment. There are two such zones in the US. The largest is the National Radio Quiet Zone, which covers 13,000 square miles (34,000 square kilometers), mainly in West Virginia and Virginia. It includes the Green Bank Observatory. Another Table Mountain Field Site and Radio Quiet Zone in Colorado supports research by many federal agencies.
Similar radio quiet zones include telescopes in Australia, South Africa and China.
Large satellite constellations like Starlink can be seen marching in single-file lines across the night sky, harming both visible and radio astronomy.
