{tag=Radio astronomy}

As described at <radio astronomy>{full}, this new type of <telescope> led to the exciting discovery of new types of <astronomical objects>, notably <pulsars> and <quasars>.


1974 Nobel Prize in Physics

{wiki}

<Radio astronomy> is cool because it revealed:
* some very interesting new types of <astronomical objects> that were not as noticeable in the <visible spectrum> notably:
  * <quasars>: quasars are extremely <#redshifted>, which means by <Hubble's law> that they are very far from <Earth>, so the fact that we could see them at all meant they must have produced immense amounts of light
  * <pulsars>: scientists thought they had found <extraterrestrial life> when they saw these regularly pulsating signal sources!
* <cosmic microwave background> which is a major evidence for the <Big Bang>
* radio wavelengths penetrate <Earth's atmosphere> better than the <visible spectrum> making it easier to make ground-based observations
The <1974 Nobel Prize in Physics> was awarded for pioneering <radio astronomy> from the late 40s onwards done at the <University of Cambridge> which was an epicenter of early research in that area, leading to the creation of the <Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory> in 1958.


Ciro Santilli @cirosantilli 37

 Tagged: Radio astronomy