radio telescope

noun

Astronomy.

1. a system consisting of an antenna, either parabolic or dipolar, used to gather radio waves emitted by celestial sources and bring them to a receiver placed in the focus.

radio telescope

noun

1. an instrument consisting of an antenna or system of antennas connected to one or more radio receivers, used in radio astronomy to detect and analyse radio waves from space

radio telescope

1. An instrument that consists of a radio receiver and antenna system mounted on a wide, bowl-shaped reflector, used to detect radio-frequency emissions from astronomical objects. The reflector and receiver form a parabolic antenna; incoming radio waves are focused by the reflector onto the receiver, where the radio signals are translated into electrical signals for further processing or electronic display. Due to the long wavelengths of radio waves, the reflectors of radio telescopes must be very large to focus the waves at a good resolution. Separate reflectors are sometimes linked in fixed arrays to act as a single collector.

Word History and Origins

Origin of radio telescope¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Because radio waves can penetrate dust and gas that obscure visible light, radio telescopes can observe galaxies invisible to optical instruments.

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By combining data from multiple large radio telescopes across the world, it effectively creates a telescope as large as Earth, capable of capturing fine details around black holes.

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To tackle this challenge, scientists are turning to vast radio telescope networks designed to map subtle variations in cosmic radio intensity.

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On Earth, radio telescopes track these pulses not only to learn about the pulsars themselves, but also to use them as tools for studying the structure and behavior of the wider universe.

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Thanks to ultra-sensitive radio telescopes like LOFAR, astronomers are eager to discover several such mysterious radio systems and find out how dead stars spring back to life as powerful radio torches in the sky.

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