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The Radio Sky and How to Observe It

  • Book
  • © 2010

Overview

Authors:
  1. Jeff Lashley

    1. Melton Mowbray, United Kingdom

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  • Provides all the background material needed to appreciate and understand the astronomy of the major radio sources that are observable by amateurs
  • Contains the information necessary to build and use a low cost backyard radio telescope
  • No previous experience in electronics is required
  • Gives plans for a simple ’cook-book’ radio telescope that can be built in a weekend!

Part of the book series: Astronomers' Observing Guides (OBSERVING)

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Table of contents (13 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xv
    Download chapter PDF

  2. The Radio Sun

    • Jeff Lashley
    Pages 1-13

  3. Jupiter

    • Jeff Lashley
    Pages 15-25

  4. Meteors and Meteor Streams

    • Jeff Lashley
    Pages 27-55

  5. Beyond the Solar System

    • Jeff Lashley
    Pages 57-70

  6. Antennae

    • Jeff Lashley
    Pages 71-98

  7. Setting Up a Radio Astronomy Station

    • Jeff Lashley
    Pages 99-102

  8. Radio Hardware Theory

    • Jeff Lashley
    Pages 103-112

  9. Introduction to RF Electronics

    • Jeff Lashley
    Pages 113-144

  10. Building a Very Low Frequency Solar Flare Monitor

    • Jeff Lashley
    Pages 145-153

  11. Microwave Radio Telescope Projects

    • Jeff Lashley
    Pages 155-170

  12. Building a Jupiter Radio Telescope

    • Jeff Lashley
    Pages 171-179

  13. Building a Broad Band Solar Radio Telescope

    • Jeff Lashley
    Pages 181-198

  14. Data Logging and Data Processing

    • Jeff Lashley
    Pages 199-211

  15. Back Matter

    Pages 213-236
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Keywords

About this book

Radio astronomy is far from being beyond the scope of amateurs astronomers, and this practical, self-contained guide for the newcomer to practical radio astronomey is an ideal introduction. This guide is a must for anyone who wants to join the growing ranks of 21st Century backyard radio astronomers. The first part of the book provides background material and explains (in a non-mathematical way) our present knowledge of the stronger radio sources – those observable by amateurs – including the Sun, Jupiter, Meteors, Galactic and extra-galactic sources. The second part of the book deals not only with observing, but – assuming no prior technical knowledge of electronics or radio theory – takes the reader step-by-step through the process of building and using a backyard radio telescope. There are complete, detailed plans and construction information for a number of amateur radio telescopes, the simplest of which can be put together and working – using only simple tools – in a weekend. For other instruments, there are full details of circuit-board layouts, components to use and (vitally important in radio astronomy) how to construct antennae for radio astronomy.

Reviews

From the reviews:

“Lashley (National Space Centre, UK) draws on his own work building and observing with radio telescopes and receivers and provides detailed instructions for building several radio detectors … . accessible to readers with minimal background in astronomy or electronics … . this practical guide will likely be useful to those with a specific interest in this topic. Summing Up … upper-division undergraduate and graduate students interested in building a radio telescope.” (C. Palma, Choice, Vol. 48 (9), May, 2011)

“Observing the sky in the radio domain, although perfectly accessible to the keen amateur, requires dedication and practical skills beyond those normally needed for optical work. … the rewards are great and those observers willing to follow Lashley’s succinct advice will undoubtedly increase their enjoyment of the sky. … inexperienced will also benefit from Lashley’s no-nonsense exposition. … If you enjoy a challenge as well as the thrill of discovery, there can be no better introduction to the field of radio astronomy than Lashley’s book.” (Alastair Gunn, Sky at Night Magazine, July, 2011)

“Jeff Lashley has obviously put in an immense amount of work in compiling this book and the result is a very worthwhile manual that should make it far easier for amateurs to take up this interesting area of astronomy. More than that, a colleague is seriously considering its use as a text for aspiring postgraduate radio astronomers. That is, in itself, real and deserved praise for a book that can be highly recommended.” (Ian Morison, The Observatory, Vol. 132 (1226), February, 2012)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Melton Mowbray, United Kingdom

    Jeff Lashley

About the author

Jeff Lashley is a technical support engineer at the National Space Centre in Leicester, UK. He has written regularly for Sunderland and Dundee newspapers. His most recent article on Radio Astronomy was published in the Radio Society of Great Britain magazine Radcom, in January 2007.

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