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An Introduction to the Itty Bitty Telescope |
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Written by Ian Hewitt
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Sunday, 17 May 2009 |
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(This aritcle originally appeared in the second quarter 2007 STAR Newsletter and was written by Mark Gibson. -I)
An
Introduction to the Itty Bitty Telescope
by
Mark Gibson
While
attending the Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers (SARA) in Green
Bank, WV, I was introduced to the Itty Bitty Telescope. The National
Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) and the SARA are spearheading an
effort to get school children involved in Radio Astronomy. The
design of this telescope allows the user to find radio sources. I
volunteered to be the control operator of the telescope. I think the
telescope will make an excellent addition to the club’s daytime
programs with schools. If you would like to see this telescope in
action or borrow this telescope for school use please contact me.
Facts
about the itty bitty telescope:
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This
is a 12,000 MHz radio telescope.
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It
can detect frequencies in the range of 12,200 to 12,700 MHz.
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It
is not a radio telescope system that can be used for serious sky
surveys.
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It
can detect the Sun.
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It
can detect the body radiation.
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It
can detect 300 deg K tree branches.
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Using
the gain adjustor, set it to 0 when pointed to cold sky. It should
register 1/2 scale for human radiation or 300 deg K, and full scale
on the Sun.
How
can I build the itty bitty telescope? Directions are located on the
Internet at
http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/epo/teachers/ittybitty/procedure.htm
Suggested
lesson plans for the itty bitty telescope: Goal: Introduce students
to Radio Astronomy with the Itty Bitty Demo.
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Discuss
the concept of energy and our main energy source.
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Illustrate
the electromagnetic spectrum
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Compare
the size of wavelengths used to define the spectrum with everyday
objects
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Describe
thermal emission and predict sources of thermal emission
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Detect
source of thermal emission with the Itty Bitty telescope.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 02 August 2009 )
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