Radio telescope

Radio telescope – This device is designed to register electromagnetic radiation emanating from space objects in the radio bands of their spectrum. A system that collects a stream of radio radiation and receives it to an antenna receiver (see Radiation receiver, antenna) is called a radio telescope.
A movable or rotatable antenna system can be mounted on telescopes that are used as ground-based radio telescopes.
The most typical dimensions for systems with fixed antennas are several hundred meters. For example, the radio telescope in Arecibo has a diameter of 300 meters, and in the village of Zelenchukskaya it is 600 meters. The undeniable disadvantage of these systems is the inability to select objects of observation.
Rotary systems have the ability to rotate telescopes so that they can observe a celestial object at any point in the sky, and also, compensating for the daily rotation of the Earth, they can monitor the object for quite a long time. Their surface is made of metal mirrors, which have a diameter of several tens of meters. The level of precision in the manufacture of their surface can be significantly lower than that of optical mirrors.
Since the wavelength of electromagnetic radiation in the radio range is very large, the resolution of a single radio telescope is very small. Also in this regard, the interferometry method has become widespread in radio astronomy. However, in recent years, the bases of interferometers have increased and reached intercontinental distances between their radiation receivers. To solve some scientific problems, these bases are insufficient. This makes it especially relevant to launch even small radio telescopes into outer space, which are used to work together with ground-based antennas and conduct interferometric measurements with a large base.