Star Trails: From Backyard Astronomy to Cosmic Wonder19 Jul

Listening to the Heartbeat of the Milky Way

Most amateur astronomers spend their nights collecting light. But what if you could study our galaxy without looking through a telescope at all?

In this episode, we sit down with amateur astronomer and radio enthusiast Hap Griffin to explore the fascinating world of backyard radio astronomy. Using a homemade radio telescope consisting of a recycled microwave dish, and less than $100 worth of electronics, Hap is recreating one of the classic experiments that revealed the Milky Way's spiral structure.

Along the way, you'll learn how astronomers use the natural radio emission from hydrogen gas to map our galaxy, why radio astronomy works day or night, and why this remarkable corner of the hobby is far more accessible than most people realize.

Later in the episode, we'll head outside for a look at the night sky from July 19 through August 1, including the Full Buck Moon, Saturn's return to the late evening sky, the Double-Double in Lyra, M13, the Lagoon Nebula, and two summer meteor showers.

Links mentioned in this episode:

RTL-SDR (Amazon.com)
Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) for 21 cm use (Amazon.com)
SDR# (SDRSharp) software
Parabolic antenna for hydrogen line applications (Amazon.com)
Hap's presentation on radio astronomy (PDF)

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