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You are here: Home / Space / What Is a Radio Telescope and How Do Radio Telescopes Help Astronomers Detect Objects In the Universe?

What Is a Radio Telescope and How Do Radio Telescopes Help Astronomers Detect Objects In the Universe?

May 5, 2020 by Karen Hill

The word “telescope” generally refers to an optical telescope.

But instruments designed to collect radio waves are called radio telescopes or radio dishes.

Radio telescopes are basically directional radio antenna used in radio astronomy.

Radio telescopes operate in the radio frequency portion of the electromagnetic spectrum where they can detect and collect data on objects in the universe.

This is possible because many astronomical objects are not only observable in visible light but also emit radiation at radio wavelengths.

Radio telescopes are able to detect most astronomical objects such as galaxies, nebulae, as well as radio emissions from planets, but they are more commonly used to image objects such as pulsars and quasars.

A radio interferometer is a series of linked radio dishes.

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Filed Under: Space

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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