Lesson Two Topics

Lesson Two Overview
Optical Astronomy
Radio Astronomy
What Do We Learn From Radio Astronomy?
Tools of Optical Astronomy
Tools of Radio Astronomy
Resolution
Interferometry
Analyzing Radio Data
The Advantages of Radio Astronomy
The Disadvantages of Radio Astronomy

Activities and Quizzes

Lesson Two : The Disadvantages of Radio Astronomy

Similar to light pollution which complicates optical astronomy, radio astronomers often have to deal with interference from radio pollution. Radio transmitters and televisions are sources of unnatural radio emissions, preventing natural sources from being observed. As human civilization continues to advance, radio and optical observations become more difficult from Earth.

Creating high resolution radio images is very difficult. Constructing larger radio dishes or interferometers is a constant challenge for engineers. Additionally, these radio instruments are very expensive to construct! The excellent resoltuion of the Very Large Array was aquired at a cost of over 75 million dollars!