SPACE — On January 10, 1946, United States (US) soldiers reflected radar signals from the moon for the first time. Known as Project Diana, this was the first experiment in radio astronomy.
They installed a transmitter, receiver, and a large antenna in a laboratory in New Jersey. Then, it emits short radio waves towards the moon. About 2.5 seconds later, the reflected radio signal was detected.
So, it takes 2.5 seconds for radio waves to travel 477,000 miles to and from the moon. With this successful experiment, Project Diana marked the birth of radio astronomy.
For your information, the development of astronomy in almost the last century would probably have been flawed without radio astronomy. Discovery of stars, planets, asteroids and other objects in deep space using radio waves.
Also Read: Today’s History: NASA Discovers Eris, the 10th Planet in the Same Generation as Pluto
In fact, communication between interplanetary spacecraft and star explorers still relies on radio technology. However, in 2023, NASA will successfully develop laser communications, even for video. In the next century, radio may no longer be relevant for astronomy. Source: Space.com
2024-01-10 16:19:00
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