jansky

[ jan-skee ]

/ ˈdʒæn ski /

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noun, plural jan·skies.Astronomy.

a unit of flux density for electromagnetic radiation, used chiefly in radio astronomy. Abbreviation: Jy

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Origin of jansky

After K. Jansky

Words nearby jansky

jannock, janny, Janola, Jansen, Jansenism, jansky, Januarius, January, Janus, Janus cloth, Janus-faced

Other definitions for jansky (2 of 2)

Jansky

[ jan-skee ]

/ ˈdʒæn ski /

noun

Karl Guthe, 1905–50, U.S. engineer: pioneer in radio astronomy.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use jansky in a sentence

He improved upon Jansky’s antenna — a bunch of metal tubes held up by a pivoting wooden trestle — and fashioned a parabolic metal dish for focusing incoming radio waves to a point, where an amplifier boosted the feeble signal.
How radio astronomy put new eyes on the cosmos|Christopher Crockett|August 31, 2021|Science News
His efforts were wildly successful, reproducing Jansky’s observations and then creating the first radio map of the sky.
How Radio Astronomy Reveals the Universe|Emily Levesque|April 13, 2021|Quanta Magazine
In fact, the very first radio astronomy experiment can be traced back before Jansky to August of 1924, when Mars made its closest pass to Earth in nearly a century.
How Radio Astronomy Reveals the Universe|Emily Levesque|April 13, 2021|Quanta Magazine
Ironically, Jansky’s original goal — to filter out natural sources of radio waves and make way for communication technology — is now reversed for radio astronomers trying to study the universe in the age of modern electronics.
How Radio Astronomy Reveals the Universe|Emily Levesque|April 13, 2021|Quanta Magazine

Jansky’s discovery was mostly met with mild curiosity by the astronomy community.
How Radio Astronomy Reveals the Universe|Emily Levesque|April 13, 2021|Quanta Magazine
Later observers, for example Jansky and Moss, established four groups.
The Organism as a Whole|Jacques Loeb

British Dictionary definitions for jansky (1 of 2)

jansky

/ (ˈdʒænskɪ) /

noun plural -skys

a unit of flux density equal to 10 –26 W m –2 Hz –1, used predominantly in radio and infrared astronomySymbol: Jy

Word Origin for jansky

C20: named after K. G. Jansky

British Dictionary definitions for jansky (2 of 2)

Jansky

/ (ˈdʒænskɪ) /

noun

Karl Guthe 1905–50, US electrical engineer. He discovered a source of radio waves outside the solar system (1932) and pioneered radio astronomy

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012