Among the hottest topics right now are those related to radio: radio astronomy, amateur radio, propagation studies, spheric hunting, searching for solar flares using VLF radio and related subjects. Begin "listening to the heavens" with this book. Includes a CD-ROM.

The ideal text for a one-semester course in radio astronomy Essential Radio Astronomy is the only textbook on the subject specifically designed for a one-semester introductory course for advanced undergraduates or graduate students in astronomy and astrophysics. It starts from first principles in order to fill gaps in students' backgrounds, make teaching easier for professors who are not expert radio astronomers, and provide a useful reference to the essential equations used by practitioners. This unique textbook reflects the fact that students of multiwavelength astronomy typically can afford to spend only one semester studying the observational techniques particular to each wavelength band. Essential Radio Astronomy presents only the most crucial concepts—succinctly and accessibly. It covers the general principles behind radio telescopes, receivers, and digital backends without getting bogged down in engineering details. Emphasizing the physical processes in radio sources, the book's approach is shaped by the view that radio astrophysics owes more to thermodynamics than electromagnetism. Proven in the classroom and generously illustrated throughout, Essential Radio Astronomy is an invaluable resource for students and researchers alike. The only textbook specifically designed for a one-semester course in radio astronomy Starts from first principles Makes teaching easier for astronomy professors who are not expert radio astronomers Emphasizes the physical processes in radio sources Covers the principles behind radio telescopes and receivers Provides the essential equations and fundamental constants used by practitioners Supplementary website includes lecture notes, problem sets, exams, and links to interactive demonstrations An online illustration package is available to professors

Radio astronomy is far from being beyond the scope of amateurs astronomers, and this practical, self-contained guide for the newcomer to practical radio astronomey is an ideal introduction. This guide is a must for anyone who wants to join the growing ranks of 21st Century backyard radio astronomers. The first part of the book provides background material and explains (in a non-mathematical way) our present knowledge of the stronger radio sources – those observable by amateurs – including the Sun, Jupiter, Meteors, Galactic and extra-galactic sources. The second part of the book deals not only with observing, but – assuming no prior technical knowledge of electronics or radio theory – takes the reader step-by-step through the process of building and using a backyard radio telescope. There are complete, detailed plans and construction information for a number of amateur radio telescopes, the simplest of which can be put together and working – using only simple tools – in a weekend. For other instruments, there are full details of circuit-board layouts, components to use and (vitally important in radio astronomy) how to construct antennae for radio astronomy.

As evidenced by five Nobel Prizes in physics, radio astronomy in its 80-year history has contributed greatly to our understanding of the universe. Yet for too long, there has been no suitable textbook on radio astronomy for undergraduate students.Fundamentals of Radio Astronomy: Observational Methods is the first undergraduate-level textbook exclus

As demonstrated by five Nobel Prizes in physics, radio astronomy has contributed greatly to our understanding of the Universe. Courses covering this subject are, therefore, very important in the education of the next generation of scientists who will continue to explore the Cosmos. This textbook, the second of two volumes, presents an extensive introduction to the astrophysical processes that are studied in radio astronomy. Suitable for undergraduate courses on radio astronomy, it discusses the physical phenomena that give rise to radio emissions, presenting examples of astronomical objects, and illustrating how the relevant physical parameters of astronomical sources can be obtained from radio observations. Unlike other radio astronomy textbooks, this book provides students with an understanding of the background and the underlying principles, with derivations available for most of the equations used in the textbook. Features: Presents a clear and concise discussion of the important astronomical concepts and physical processes that give rise to both radio continuum and radio spectral line emission Discusses radio emissions from a variety of astronomical sources and shows how the observed emissions can be used to derive the physical properties of these sources Includes numerous examples using actual data from the literature

This substantially rewritten and expanded fourth edition outlines the most up-to-date methods and tools of radio astronomy. Tools of Radio Astronomy gives a unified treatment of the entire field of radio astronomy, from centimeter to sub-millimeter wavelengths and using single telescopes as well as interferometers. The basic physical principles are described and a complete outline of the instrumentation, observational techniques, and methods of measurement and analysis are given. The goal of this standard reference and text is to prepare readers to carry out observations and relate the data to physical processes in interstellar space. In this fourth edition, the chapter on interferometry and aperture synthesis has been thoroughly revised in the light of most recent developments, as has been the chapter on molecules in interstellar space, and material on receiver technology. From reviews of previous editions: "People use this book so much because it describes what one needs in order actually to do radio astronomy ... and it will remain relevant for a long time...This book is an excellent graduate level text - the best available by far. It is also the best reference book for the practising astronomer who wants to do radio astronomy properly, to interpret the jargon or to understand some of the details of current literature." Physics Today "This is the one book you should buy if you want to become a radio astronomer. (...) I have used the first and second editions as a postgraduate textbook for many years, and will now recommend the third edition to my students." The Observatory.

Big Data in Radio Astronomy: Scientific Data Processing for Advanced Radio Telescopes provides the latest research developments in big data methods and techniques for radio astronomy. Providing examples from such projects as the Square Kilometer Array (SKA), the world's largest radio telescope that generates over an Exabyte of data every day, the book offers solutions for coping with the challenges and opportunities presented by the exponential growth of astronomical data. Presenting state-of-the-art results and research, this book is a timely reference for both practitioners and researchers working in radio astronomy, as well as students looking for a basic understanding of big data in astronomy. - Bridges the gap between radio astronomy and computer science - Includes coverage of the observation lifecycle as well as data collection, processing and analysis - Presents state-of-the-art research and techniques in big data related to radio astronomy - Utilizes real-world examples, such as Square Kilometer Array (SKA) and Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST)

This translation of A Brief History of Radio Astronomy in the USSR makes descriptions of the antennas and instrumentation used in the USSR, the astronomical discoveries, as well as interesting personal backgrounds of many of the early key players in Soviet radio astronomy available in the English language for the first time. This book is a collection of memoirs recounting an interesting but largely still dark era of Soviet astronomy. The arrangement of the essays is determined primarily by the time when radio astronomy studies began at the institutions involved. These include the Lebedev Physical Institute (FIAN), Gorkii State University and the affiliated Physical-Technical Institute (GIFTI), Moscow State University Sternberg Astronomical institute (GAISH) and Space Research Institute (IKI), the Department of Radio Astronomy of the Main Astronomical Observatory in Pulkovo (GAO), Special Astrophysical Observatory (SAO), Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory (BAO), Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, Academy of Sciences of the Ukraine (SSR), Institute of Radio Physics and Electronics of the USSR Academy of Sciences (IRE), Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, the Ionosphere and Radio-Wave Propagation Institute (IZMIRAN), Siberian Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, the Ionosphere and Radio-Wave Propagation (SibIZMIRAN), the Radio Astrophysical Observatory of the Latvian Academy of Sciences and Leningrad State University. A Brief History of Radio Astronomy in the USSR is a fascinating source of information on a past era of scientific culture and fields of research including the Soviet SETI activities. Anyone interested in the recent history of science will enjoy reading this volume.

By the late nineteenth century, engineers and experimental scientists generally knew how radio waves behaved, and by 1901 scientists were able to manipulate them to transmit messages across long distances. What no one could understand, however, was why radio waves followed the curvature of the Earth. Theorists puzzled over this for nearly twenty years before physicists confirmed the zig-zag theory, a solution that led to the discovery of a layer in the Earth’s upper atmosphere that bounces radio waves earthward—the ionosphere. In Probing the Sky with Radio Waves, Chen-Pang Yeang documents this monumental discovery and the advances in radio ionospheric propagation research that occurred in its aftermath. Yeang illustrates how the discovery of the ionosphere transformed atmospheric science from what had been primarily an observational endeavor into an experimental science. It also gave researchers a host of new theories, experiments, and instruments with which to better understand the atmosphere’s constitution, the origin of atmospheric electricity, and how the sun and geomagnetism shape the Earth’s atmosphere. This book will be warmly welcomed by scholars of astronomy, atmospheric science, geoscience, military and institutional history, and the history and philosophy of science and technology, as well as by radio amateurs and electrical engineers interested in historical perspectives on their craft.