www.hardhack.org.au
Radio Astronomy in School
Cezar Leşanu
Suceava “Ştefan cel Mare” State University
Planetarium / Observatory
Electromagnetic spectrum
Atmospheric electromagnetic opacity
www.wikipedia.com
We highlight some radio astronomy projects
promoted by renowned institutions around the
Globe, relatively accessible in terms of level of
knowledge required, availability of the equipment,
and investment.
These projects are addressed to high school and
university students as well as to amateur
astronomers, and involve the participants in a wide
range of hands-on activities, from building,
assembling, and calibrating the hardware setup to
analyzing and sharing the data over the internet,
all in a interdisciplinary learning process.
Interactive NASA Space Physics Ionosphere
Radio Experiments"
• is a non-profit scientific, educational corporation,
founded in 1989 by a team of NASA employees
• investigation of very low frequency (VLF = 0 Hz to
over 100 kHz) radio signals in the earth's
magnetosphere
• These signals are both manmade and naturally
occurring (most of which originate from lightning)
INSPIRE VLF3 receiver kit
http://www.tnskynet.com
Field observation setup:
• INSPIRE VLF3 receiver
with stereo cable
• Portable cassette tape
recorder with
headphones
• Whip antenna
• Ground stake
Links
• INSPIRE project home page
http://theinspireproject.org/
• “Listening to Northern Lights” Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHvdZdsIZxg
• Live VLF Natural Radio Streaming
http://abelian.org/vlf
Radio Meteor Observation
• meteoroids disintegrate at an altitude of 80
to 130 km
• the trails they leave behind are full of
ionized gases that reflect radio waves
• distant VHF(30MHz-300MHz) radio
signals can bounce off the meteor trail
(forward scattering method)
• can monitor meteor activity regardless the
weather conditions and at daytime
Radio detection of
meteors
Transmitter
Continuous wave
(FM carrier)
Receiving
station
Radio Meteor Observation
Experimental setup
Black box
FM radio receiver with
digital frequency readout + PC interface
( SSB receiver + PC soundcard )
Radio detection of meteors at
“Nights of Perseids”
festival,Horodnic 2008/2009.
Radio Meteor Observatory On Line at USV
Links
• International Meteor Organization
http://www.imo.net/radio
• The G7IZU Radio Reflection Detection Page
http://www.tvcomm.co.uk/radio/
• “Meteormania” Video – BBC 4 TV
http://www.tvcomm.co.uk/radio/video/meteormania.wmv
• Radio Meteor Observatory's On Line
http://www.rmob.org/index.php
SID Sudden Ionosphere Disturbance monitor
• is an education project to build and distribute inexpensive
ionospheric monitors to students around the world
• the monitors detect solar flares and other ionospheric
disturbances
• Earth's ionosphere reacts strongly to the intense x-ray and
ultraviolet radiation released by the Sun during a solar event
• the signal strength from a distant VLF transmitter, reflected by
ionosphere, will follow this changes
Super SID Receiver - simple and low-cost
Super SID
(New SDR based VLF receiver)
“wire-loop antenna”
Links
• Stanford Space Weather Monitor program
http://solar-center.stanford.edu/sid.html
• Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers
http://www.radio-astronomy.org/node/142
• Tennessee SkyNet Observatory
http://www.tnskynet.com/SID-VLF.php
NASA Radio Jove Project
• was conceived in 1997 by a team headed by Jim
Thieman at Goddard Space Flight Center
• sold its first receiver kit 1999 (10th anniversary – almost
1400 kits sold)
• observe and analyze natural radio emissions of Jupiter
(bursts), the Sun (Solar flares), and our galaxy (transit)
• Frequency of operation 20.1 MHz
• Receiver type: direct conversion
(a hamradio transceiver can be used – expensive)
• Antenna: dipol λ/2 or phased dipol or multi-element
http://fringes.org/
phased dipole antenna
Radio-SkyPipe Software - An Internet Enabled Strip Chart Recorder
http://www.radiosky.com
Radio Jove at ATLANTYKRON Summer Academy 2005
50th anniversary of the discovery of Jupiter's natural radio emissions
Links
• NASA Radio Jove Project
http://radiojove.gsfc.nasa.gov/
• The Internet Jupiter Radio Observatory Kochi JP
http://jupiter.kochi-ct.jp/
• Radio bursts from Jupiter video - CFARO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6wkt_8a-6A
• Radio burst from the Sun – CFARO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smuHQzDy3i0
Small total power radio telescope
Offset TV satellite dish
Data acquisition
board
Computer + data
logging software
LNB
Power Supply
Analog satellite finder
(modified)
14-18V DC
• Detect microwaves emitted by the Sun and approximate
the temperature at 11GHz (chromosphere)
• Detect microwaves emitted by the human body or any
other object of sufficiently high temperature.
First test - 2006
Meridian transit of
the Sun at 11GHz
(Ku band)
Panaci 2009
Suceava
Panetarium 2009
The Internet Solar Radio Observatory
Imai Laboratory, Kochi National College of Technology, Japan
http://sun.kochi-ct.jp/e/observatory.html
Links
• MIT Very Small Radio Telescope (VSRT)
http://www.haystack.mit.edu/edu/undergrad/VSRT/index.html
• Radio Astronomy on 11 GHz at ISU
http://astro.u-strasbg.fr/~koppen/10GHz/index.html
• The Internet Solar Radio Observatory
http://sun.kochi-ct.jp/e/observatory.html