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Radio telescopes allow us to see things that can't be seen in visible light. And vice versa, optical telescopes can show things that are not visible in radio telescopes. So, the information from both kinds of telescopes really complements each other.

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14y ago
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16y ago

A larger radio dish can capture more of the signal energy being radiated from a source. Thus the receiver can differentiate signals more accurately and from a greater distance. The comparative amount of energy received between two dishes will be approximately related to their reflective areas.

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14y ago

The size of the dish determines the amount of incoming radiation that can be collected.

Also the radio energy emitted from celestial objects is very weak so it must be strongly amplified before it is recorded and interpreted. The large dish allows the telescope/astronomers to do so.

- Seeds, Michael A.. Horizons: Exploring the Universe. 11 ed. New York: Brooks Cole, 2009. Print.

- "How does a radio telescope work?." Australia Telescope Outreach and Education. CSIRO Australia , 25 July 2008. Web. 16 Feb. 2010. http://outreach.atnf.csiro.au/education/pulseatparkes/radiotelescopeintro.html

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13y ago

The "gain" (light-gathering power, signal-gathering power) of any collector

depends on its size ... measured in wavelengths of the signal it's trying to

collect.

Just for an example . . .

The wavelength of the hydrogen spin transition that's often observed by radio

telescopes (1,420 MHz) is roughly 352 thousand times the wavelength of

yellow light (600 nm) that's often observed by optical telescopes.

And that's why you need a bigger collector for radio waves.

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12y ago

-- The gain ('gathering' power) of a telescope depends on its size, measured in wavelengths

of the radiation it's trying to gather.

-- As an example, the 1420 MHz hydrogen line observed by some radio telescopes

has a wavelength roughly 352,000 times as long as the wavelength in the middle

of visible light.

-- So, in order to have the same gain (gathering power), a radio telescope built to

observe 1420 MHz would need to be 352,000 times as large as a telescope built

to observe visible light.

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14y ago

Radio telescopes allow us to see things that can't be seen in visible light. And vice versa, optical telescopes can show things that are not visible in radio telescopes. So, the information from both kinds of telescopes really complements each other.

Radio telescopes allow us to see things that can't be seen in visible light. And vice versa, optical telescopes can show things that are not visible in radio telescopes. So, the information from both kinds of telescopes really complements each other.

Radio telescopes allow us to see things that can't be seen in visible light. And vice versa, optical telescopes can show things that are not visible in radio telescopes. So, the information from both kinds of telescopes really complements each other.

Radio telescopes allow us to see things that can't be seen in visible light. And vice versa, optical telescopes can show things that are not visible in radio telescopes. So, the information from both kinds of telescopes really complements each other.

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13y ago

The gain of an antennae is related to the size. Basically the larger the antennae and more gain. Radio signals received by radio telescopes are very very low. The dish must be very large as to concentrate the signal onto the receiver so it may be recorded/measured/listened to or what ever else scientists want to do.

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10y ago

-- The gain ('gathering' power) of a telescope depends on its size, measured in wavelengths

of the radiation it's trying to gather.

-- As an example, the 1420 MHz hydrogen line observed by some radio telescopes

has a wavelength roughly 352,000 times as long as the middle wavelength of

visible light.

-- So, in order to have the same gain (gathering power), a radio telescope built to

observe 1420 MHz would need 352,000 times as as much area ... almost 600 times

the diameter ... of a telescope built to observe visible light.

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14y ago

Radiotelescopes are generally far larger than optical telescopes, because the materials don't have to be as dense or as finely built as optical telescopes. Optical telescopes are made of precision-ground mirrors and lenses. Radio telescopes can be made out of wire mesh.

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12y ago

It is based on a ratio of the size of the telescope to the wavelength of the radiation that you are studying and collecting. A radio telescope studies radio waves, which have wavelengths thousands of times longer than visible light, which is collected in an optical telescope. Therefore, a radio telescope must be much larger than an optical telescope.

Fortunately, a radio telescope doesn't have to have complete coverage. So two radio telescopes dozens of miles apart has a resolution much better than a single telescope, or even two radio telescopes close together. This is why there are fields of dozens - soon to be hundreds - of radio telescopes spanning hundreds of miles all observing the same spot. It acts as a radio telescope as big as the farthest separation.

One such is the Very Long Baseline Array radio telescope.

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Q: Why do astronomers continue to build even larger telescopes?
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Where should astronomers build their telescopes?

The best place for astronomers to build their telescopes is a cold, dry, and calm place. Astronomers identified a place in the Antarctic that they believe is the best place for an observatory. Read more about it at http://phys.org/news170932769.html.


Scientists on earth Build telescopes on top of ------so the atmosphere doesn't interfere with what they can see?

scientist on earth build telescopes on top of


How many telescopes did herschal build?

6 and a half


Who built and used reflecting telescopes?

Thousands of people still do build their own astronomical telescopes; it isn't that hard to do.


Do astronomers know how to build?

Some astronomers are likely to be good at DIY, but most would probably get a contractor in.


Why would radio astronomers build identical radio telescopes in different places around the world?

There are at least two reasons why identical radio telescopes may be built. A mundane reason would to save money by reusing the same design. But the reason why most identical systems are built (not to say that saving money by reusing the design isn't still a factor in these cases) is to construct a "very long baseline interferometer", a type of multiple telescope system that uses properties of electromagnetic radiation (wave interference) to simulate telescopes with much larger apertures. This method attains the angular resolution of the larger telescope, but not the signal sensitivity.


Why is it a advantage for reflecting and refracting telescopes to be made larger?

The reason people build larger Telescopes is because smaller telescopes have a smaller power to them, which results in less detail the farther they look. Larger telescopes use much larger lenses to see much farther and with much more clarity.


Did Sir Issac Newton build and use reflecting telescopes?

Yes.


Why are most modern telescopes reflecting telescopes?

A reflecting telescope is much easier to build than a refracting telescope and consequently is much less expensive. A reflecting telescope uses a concave mirror to collect and concentrate starlight and send it to your eye, whereas a refracting telescope uses a series of lenses to do the same thing. Optical quality lenses are much more expensive (and heavier) than a well-made mirror. For a given amount of money, much larger reflecting telescope can be built than a refracting. For very large telescopes, the lenses needed would be enormous and next to impossible to make optically perfect. Consequently, most telescopes are reflecting.


What is the the primary reason for making telescopes very large?

Large telescopes are needed to collect the weak radiation, coming from faint or very distant sources. The larger the aperture, the brighter the final image will be. The aperture also has to be much larger than the wave length of the radiation being observed otherwise diffraction will spread the star light out and the image will be blurred not sharp. Radio waves have a very large wave length, so these telescopes are enormous! The resolving power of a telescope measures how well it can distinguish stars that appear close together. It depends on both the aperture size and the wavelength used. Aperture=light-gathering area of the telescope.


How did astronomers help build the pyramids?

They used the Pole star to find true north


How did telescopes develop over the years?

That's a simple question, As more big businesses and new material /better material to build telescopes have come out the telescopes start to improve, scientists found that there are different combinations that enhance the viewing of telescopes. I don't get why'd you ask this, i could answer it easy and im 13 as its common sense. WOW your brainy!