There had been a lot of radio astronomy data to suggest flat rotation curves, but because radio astronomy was very new, it was really only once you saw it with the eye that the astronomy community was convinced.
The procedure is relatively easy in radio astronomy, both because radio-emitting objects tend to be extremely bright, and because radio waves are relatively large and thus easy to line up.
This sharpness is often a key goal in astronomy, as it allows us to pinpoint individual stars in faraway galaxies or map the precise shape of a nebula, and the long wavelengths of radio astronomy offer a different way of building big telescopes.
The science of radio astronomy is thrilling, but the telescopes look decidedly odd to anyone accustomed to the shiny mirrored telescopes theyâve peered through.
The study of celestial objects by measurement of the radio waves they emit. Radio astronomy has enabled the detection and study of objects such as pulsars, quasars, radio galaxies, and other objects, some of which emit considerably less radiation at other wavelengths. Radio astronomy has contributed to the discovery of cosmic background radiation and has enhanced the understanding of solar activity and the structure of galaxies. See also radio telescope.