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What is the…. National. Radio. Astronomy. Observatory?. NRAO. Founded in 1956. State-of-the-art radio telescope facilities. Open to all astronomers regardless of affiliation. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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What is the…
NationalRadioAstronomyObservatory?
Founded in 1956
NRAO
Open to all astronomers regardless of affiliation
The NRAO is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the terms of a cooperative agreement between the NSF and Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI), a science management corporation.
State-of-the-art radio telescope facilities
Radio Astronomy
Radio wavelength observations address fundamental questions about our Universe:
• When and how did galaxies form in the early Universe?
• How do supermassive black holes form?
• How are stars and planets born?
Radio astronomy is essential to understanding what celestial objects are made of.
Radio Astronomy is the study of the invisible universe
We see the world around us because our eyes detect visible light, a type of electromagnetic radiation.
Objects on Earth and in space also emit other types of electromagnetic radiation that cannot be seen by the human eye.
The full range of radiation emitted by an object is called its electromagnetic spectrum.
The Electromagnetic Spectrum
Radiation is energy that travels and spreads out.
Electromagnetic (EM) radiation is a phenomenon that takes the form of self-propagating waves consisting of electric and magnetic field components.
The EM spectrum is the range of all possible frequencies of EM radiation.
The EM spectrum includes radio waves and visible light.
The Electromagnetic Spectrum
All parts of the EM spectrum are fundamentally the same things:
A stream of photons
each traveling in a wave-like pattern
moving at the speed of light.
Photons are mass-less particles containing energy. The only difference between the types of EM radiation is the amount of that energy.
The Electromagnetic Spectrum
EM Radiation Types
Longer waves Shorter waves
Lower energy Higher energy
In moredetail…
Terahertz radiation
NRAO Facilities
Facilities of the NRAO?
Green Bank, West Virginia
World’s most sensitive single-dish radio telescope.
GBT
World's largest land-based movable structure.
Facilities of the NRAO?
Socorro, New Mexico
Featured in these films:
• Carl Sagan’s Cosmos
• 2010
• The Arrival
• Contact
• Independence Day
• Terminator Salvation
An array of 27 radio telescopes that is among the most productive research tools in astronomy.
VLA
Facilities of the NRAO?
Very Long Baseline Array, North America
VLBA
World's largest dedicated, full-time astronomical instrument
Resolution 50 times that of the Hubble Space Telescope
Facilities of the NRAO?
Atacama desert, northern Chile
ALMA
Under construction in partnership with Europe, Japan, and Chile
Facilities of the NRAO?
NRAO Headquarters, Charlottesville, Virginia
You are here
Edgemont Road…
and the NRAO Technology Center (NTC)
The NRAO Library
Designing for radio waves
Long waves
Low energy
Radio waves
Capturing sufficient low energy radio waves for observation requires massive instruments.MASSIVE
Nice shadow
Green Bank Interferometer
Each arm is 13 miles long
Our arrays see the universe in ways not possible with optical instruments.
Optical view of M51 courtesy of NOAO
Composite images from the Second Palomar Observatory Sky Survey and the VLA
Engineers design, build, and maintain our instruments.
For instance, new state-of-the-art electronics and software will completely transform the VLA into the EVLA.
Staff: 3 professional librarians, 1 temp
The NRAO Library
Facilities: 1 site from 3
Collections: Physical, electronic, and web-based resources
Activities: Research assistance, acquisitions, data curation, statistics
Staff scientists and astronomers
Who does the NRAO Library support?
Staff engineers
Business and administration staff who do the rest of the work
Other observatories and institutions
NRAOPapers
NRAO Library Projects
ISSTT Proceedings
NRAO Theses
Publications digitization
Electronic access
Physical space
Pictures
Physical Tour
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