Radio astronomy

Radio Astronomy Astronomy provides knowledge of our planet, the solar system, our galaxy and our place in the universe. Radio Astronomy is an integral part of astronomical science, which studies the universe and its components using the most advanced radio techniques. In order to facilitate these studies in a wide range of frequencies and with a variety of observing techniques, it is necessary to operate many radio observatories with different instrumentation and at different locations, including in space.

Radio waves of natural origin are extreme weak and their detection requires large reception surfaces (antennas) and the most sensitive receivers. This sensitivity also increases the interference potential for a passive operation. The combination of frequencies fixed by nature and weak signals asks for a well-protected environment.

Radio Astronomy receives naturally occurring signals from celestial objects, which can be used to determine the physical structure and chemistry of the object. This is possible because each atom radiates on a certain frequency band, which are determined by the laws of physics. For example, the hydrogen atom radiates at a rest frequency of 1420.4058 MHz. Since the universe is still expanding, account will have to be taken of the Doppler effect. The Doppler effect causes a general shift towards lower frequencies in the spectrum when observing specific spectral lines from sources that are moving away from us at very high velocities.