The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, The California Institute of Technology and NASA offer what they are calling a workbook used to train students on how to use the Goldstone-Apple Valley Radio Telescope. The telescope can be used by students around the country through the Internet and in person. This radio astronomy workbook first explains radio frequency electromagnetic radiation to provide context and meaning for the results students will see from using the telescope. The material was prepared by Diane Fisher Miller (Advanced Mission Operations Section for Jet Propulsion Laboratory) is suitable for advanced high school students and college under-graduates.
There are questions, exercises and final quizzes included but I did not find a solutions manual.
Table of Contents for Basics of Radio Astronomy
- Chapter 1 Overview: Discovering an Invisible Universe
- Jansky’s Experiment
- Reber’s Prototype Radio Telescope
- So What’s a Radio Telescope?
- What’s the GAVRT?
- Chapter 2: The Properties of Electromagnetic Radiation
- What is Electromagnetic Radiation?
- Frequency and Wavelength
- Inverse-Square Law of Propagation
- The Electromagnetic Spectrum
- Wave Polarization
- Chapter 3: The Mechanisms of Electromagnetic Emissions
- Thermal Radiation
- Blackbody Characteristics
- Continuum Emissions from Ionized Gas
- Spectral Line Emissions from Atoms and Molecules
- Chapter 3: Non-thermal Mechanisms
- Synchrotron Radiation
- Masers
- Chapter 4: Effects of Media
- Atmospheric “Windows”
- Absorption and Emission LinesReflection
- Refraction
- Phase
- Scintillation
- Faraday Rotation
- Chapter 5: Effects of Motion and Gravity
- Doppler Effect
- Gravitational Red Shifting
- Gravitational Lensing
- Superluminal Velocities
- Occultations
- Chapter 6: Sources of Radio Frequency Emissions
- Classifying the Source
- Star Sources
- Variable Stars
- Pulsars
- Our Sun
- Galactic and Extragalactic Sources
- Planetary Sources and Their Satellites
- The Jupiter System
- Sources of Interference
- Chapter 7: Mapping the Sky
- Earth’s Coordinate System
- Revolution of Earth
- Solar vs. Sidereal Day
- Precession of the Earth Axis
- Astronomical Coordinate Systems
- Horizon Coordinate System
- Equatorial Coordinate System
- Ecliptic Coordinate System
- Galactic Coordinate System
- Chapter 8: Our Place in the Universe
- The Universe in Six Steps
- The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
- Appendix A: Glossary
- Appendix B: References and Further Reading
View this Free Online Material at the source:
Basics of Radio Astronomy
