Microwave emission/detection

Discussion in 'Astronomy, Exobiology, & Cosmology' started by Weitzel, Dec 9, 1999.

  1. Weitzel Simon Fraser University Registered Senior Member

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    I've been studying astronomy. Why is it that all the findings from space come from types of electromagnetic radiation other than microwave? One hears about detecting gamma rays, radio waves, x-rays, uv and visible and infrared waves... but microwaves? Nuh-uh.

    Just curious. My text doesn't touch it.

    Thanks.
     
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  3. Letticia Registered Senior Member

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    Here is an educated guess. Telescope resolution is inversely proportional to wavelength. To get decent resolution out of a microwave telescope, it needs to be as big as radio telescopes are. Unfortunately, microwaves are absorbed by atmosphere, so any microwave telescope must be in orbit. Putting a 50-meter parabolic dish into orbit (and a solid one at that - not a mesh like radio telescopes often are) is a tad expensive

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  5. Weitzel Simon Fraser University Registered Senior Member

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    Riiiight, I forgot about the optical & radio windows in the atmosphere... Okay, I guess that might explain it. Don't we *have* such microwave-detecting satellites out there, though?

    Something else I forgot: the whole cosmic microwave background issue.
     
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  7. Letticia Registered Senior Member

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