radio telescope

15 Stories

One of Century's Biggest Science Projects Is Underway

Square Kilometer Array will search for extraterrestrials, among other things

(Newser) - Astronomers and other folks curious about the nature and origins of the universe—not to mention the possible existence of extraterrestrial life—have a new reason to cheer: construction has begun on the world’s largest radio telescope. Per the BBC , the Square Kilometre Array is scheduled for completion in...

Renowned Puerto Rico Telescope Won't Be Rebuilt

Scientists mourn Arecibo Observatory telescope

(Newser) - The National Science Foundation will not rebuild a renowned radio telescope in Puerto Rico, which was one of the world’s largest until it collapsed nearly two years ago. Instead, the agency issued a solicitation for the creation of a $5 million education center at the site that would promote...

NASA Designs New Message for Aliens
NASA Designs New
Message for Aliens
Apr 10, 2022 4:45 PM CDT

NASA Designs New Message for Aliens

'Beacon in the Galaxy' proposal builds on previous efforts, with some important updates

(Newser) - The Arecibo message—beamed via interstellar radio in 1974 from its namesake telescope—was “humanity’s first attempt to send out a missive capable of being understood by extraterrestrial intelligence,” per Scientific American, which reports on efforts to develop a sequel, nicknamed “Beacon in the Galaxy.”...

Iconic Telescope Has Collapsed
Iconic Telescope Has Collapsed 
Dec 1, 2020 9:02 AM CST

Iconic Telescope Has Collapsed

Officials: Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico has met its end after auxiliary cable broke in August

(Newser) - The scientific community and stargazers at large had been trying to save an iconic radio telescope , but those efforts have now come to an end after Puerto Rico officials announced the telescope has collapsed. Per CBS News , the huge Arecibo Observatory fell to its ruin Tuesday, less than two weeks...

They Know the Risks. They Want to Save Telescope Anyway

Petition, letter to Congress part of efforts to keep Arecibo landmark from being demolished

(Newser) - News last week that an iconic radio telescope that has gazed upon the cosmos for nearly six decades would be decommissioned and demolished has hit the scientific community hard, and now it's fighting to keep the astronomy landmark alive. The telescope at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico sustained...

Arecibo Radio Telescope Can't Be Saved
Famed Telescope
Can't Be Saved
Nov 20, 2020 1:00 AM CST

Famed Telescope Can't Be Saved

Cables are failing at astronomy landmark in Puerto Rico

(Newser) - The iconic radio telescope at the Arecibo Observatory is being taken out of commission. Cables hold up a 900-ton equipment platform over the telescope's huge reflector dish, and those cables have begun to fail. One broke this month, after an auxiliary cable had slipped out of its socket in...

Scientists to Check if This 'Messenger' Comes From Aliens

Green Bank telescope will scan 'Oumuamua for signs of alien technology

(Newser) - It's unlikely that the first object found to have visited our solar system from interstellar space is carrying a message from aliens, but scientists will listen for one anyway. Beginning Wednesday, the Green Bank telescope in West Virginia will observe the mysterious cigar-shaped 'Oumuamua across four radio transmission...

With Radio Telescope's First Image, 1.3K Galaxies Revealed

MeerKAT radio telescope will only get more impressive

(Newser) - Scientists promised it would be the world's most powerful radio telescope, capable of exploring dark energy, black holes, and traces of the universe's creation 14 billion years ago. South Africa's MeerKAT has already exceeded expectations. Though operating at a quarter of its eventual capacity with 16 of...

China Removing Thousands From Homes to Hunt for Aliens

The world's largest radio telescope is almost finished

(Newser) - In what would make for a decent episode of The X-Files, the Chinese government is forcing more than 9,000 residents from their homes in order to better search for alien life in the cosmos. China started work on FAST—the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope—back in 2011, Xinhua reports....

As Asteroid Zooms Past, NASA Nabs Images

Scientists see mysteries in grainy images

(Newser) - An asteroid passed closer to the Earth than any before it last night—it was just 201,000 miles away, making it closer than the moon —but to your average telescope it was nothing but a brief glimmer in the sky. NASA, however, has some pretty above-average telescopes, like...

West Virginia Town Full of Those Sickened by WiFi

Green Bank residents say they have Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity

(Newser) - Most Americans hate being out of range of a cell phone tower, but not the residents of Green Bank, West Virginia. A growing number of Americans are moving to this mountain town, population 143, specifically because cell phones and WiFi signals are banned there, lest they interfere with the gigantic...

SETI Telescopes Back On, Thanks to 2,286 Alien Fans

Call for funds reels in more than $200K

(Newser) - Thanks to 2,286 people who believe aliens may be out there, SETI's search for radio waves that would prove there is intelligent life in the universe is once again a go, reports the LA Times . Budget cuts shut down SETI's Allen Telescope Array in April , but a...

Scheme to Plant Telescope on Moon Gathers Steam

MIT, Navy working on far-side plans

(Newser) - The moon may have to start earning its keep if NASA gets its way. With the far side of our lunar satellite a perfect environment for delicate, deep-space measurements, two research teams are furiously plotting ways to deploy astronomy equipment there. If astronauts return to the moon after 2019, they...

Sky's the Limit in Powerful New Searches for Alien Life

Pioneering technology rachets up ET hunt

(Newser) - Powerful new instruments will help scientists in their search for extra-terrestrial life, the Christian Science Monitor writes. New telescopes will make it possible for the SETI Institute to scan millions of star systems for alien radio signals. Only a thousand have been analyzed in detail so far, but the institute...

Scientists Stumped by Blast From Outer Space

Mysterious pulse could be sign of black hole evaporating or supernovas colliding

(Newser) - A bizarre burst from outer space has scientists talking black holes and colliding stars, Physorg reports — and may even help us "determine the amount of material in intergalactic space," one researcher says. The radio waves, which were measured in milliseconds, might be a blast from 2 superdense...

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