Radio Astronomy Basics

Haystack Resources:

Much of what is presented in this site depends on some basic understanding of wave motion, electricity, and magnetism. This page has links to some new demos and experiments as well as links to specific parts of some of the lesson plans. You can also go to our Glossary for definitions to terms you come across in these lessons.

Check out the activity, Why do Astronomers Measure "Size" in Degrees? to learn more about determining the relative size of distant objects.

For a demonstration of how electromagnetic waves of different wavelengths interact with meshes of different sizes, go to the Radio Screens Demonstration from the AM Radio Lesson Plan.

A tutorial on Radio Astronomy prepared at Haystack can be found HERE.

Go to Astronomy throughout History for a brief history of Astronomy. An Historical View of Man gives a more narrative description of man and astronomy. A short quiz on the history of astronomy can be found HERE.

A brief description of the Earth's Atmosphere can be found at this link.

One of the fundamental concepts in radio astronomy is resolution: With how much detail am I able to look at an object? Go to our Resolution Page for our collection of lesson plans and tutorials discussing resolution.

The Where Am I? Home Page presents a collection of activities focusing on those aspects of Haystack that answer the question, "Where Am I?" This includes celestial observations, the effects of space weather on GPS, and the geodesy work using the VLBI.

External Resources:

The National Research Council Canada has a nice web-site explaining the differences between visible light astronomy and radio astronomy and why we need them. Click HERE to check it out.

Bob Miller's Light Walk is a wonderful exploration of optical phenomena, particularly focussed on the Sun, that can be used to show kids many basic ideas.

The Real-Time Science Data Access Page by the Montana State University is one of the best sources for an incredible range of links to celestial images, particularly of the Sun!

HyperPhysics by Georgia State University contains short, graphical explanations of many basic physics concepts.

The University of Michigan's Windows to the Universe is one of the best astronomy/space weather resources out there!

Physics 2000 by the University of Colorado at Boulder is another great general physics web-site. This one has particulary good applets showing wave interference.

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