The Radio Sky: Tuned to 408MHz
Explanation:
Tune your radio telescope to 408MHz
(408 million cycles per second) and check out the Radio Sky!
You should find that frequency on your dial somewhere between
US broadcast television channels 13 and 14.
In the 1970s large dish antennas at
three radio observatories,
Jodrell Bank,
MPIfR, and
Parkes Observatory,
were used to do just that -
the data were combined to map the entire sky.
Near this frequency,
cosmic radio waves are generated by high energy electrons spiraling
along magnetic fields.
In the resulting false color image, the galactic plane
runs horizontally through the center, but no
stars are visible.
Instead, many of the bright sources near the plane
are distant pulsars, star forming regions,
and
supernova remnants,
while the grand looping structures
are pieces of
bubbles blown by local stellar activity.
External galaxies like
Centaurus A, located above the plane to the
right of center, and
the LMC (below and right)
also shine in the radio sky.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
