Radio telescope: Quick Facts

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The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

Oct. 4, 2026

Photos

Lovell Telescope

black hole in M87

Arecibo Observatory

Diagram showing a radio telescope system with a large parabolic dish collecting incoming radio waves, directing them to a feed horn and subreflector, with signals sent by cables to a receiver, amplifier, and computer for processing and recording.

Green Bank Telescope

Onsala Space Observatory

Very Large Array

Mercury's north pole

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Topics

radome Earth-orbiting radio telescope filled-aperture telescope Radio interferometer Mills cross very long baseline interferometry aperture synthesis CLEAN telescope Telescope X-ray telescope Ultraviolet telescope Infrared telescope Gamma-ray telescope Telescopes: Seeing Stars How does a telescope work?Seeing Heliostat Coelostat

Key People

Lovell, Sir Bernard

Sir Bernard Lovell

English radio astronomer

Sir Martin Ryle.

Sir Martin Ryle

British astronomer

Grote Reber.

Grote Reber

American astronomer

Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.

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