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Radio Astronomy

Projects

A number of Edmonton RASC members have worked on various radio astronomy projects over the years. See the background notes and names of the usual suspects that follow below.

But first, here are some of the types of projects Edmonton RASC members have worked on.

• Conversion of used satellite TV dishes for radio observations of the Sun and Moon.
• FM radio observations of meteors and meteor showers.
• Solar flare observations via long wave observations.
• Solar flare observations via Earth magnetic field observations.

All of these techniques use the radio portion of the electromagnetic spectrum for observing natural astronomical phenomena.

Some Background

The radio astronomy initiatives of the Edmonton Centre have evolved into various forms over the years since 1998 when several individuals met at Dave Cleary s home to discuss the possibilities for doing radio astronomy in the group. Two initiatives eventually resulted from this initial meeting.

The first was the work of the Edmonton Area Radio Astronomy Group (EARAG) made up of RASC members who built an array of several donated 3 meter satellite dishes on the roof of the University of Alberta s Physics building. One of the 3 or 4 dishes erected on the roof was tested by observing radiation from the Sun and Moon before we received notice that the building was going to be re-roofed and then torn down. (Strange but true.) The dishes had to be removed and stored at a University property near Devon but are still available for anyone interested in acquiring one for their own use.

The second, and this time, quite successful project was the Sky Scan Science Awareness Project. It was an initiative of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC), Edmonton Centre, and the Department of Physics at the University of Alberta. The Edmonton Area Radio Astronomy Group (EARAG) took the lead initiative in making arrangements with the Physics department and was successful in securing over $55,000 in funding for the project from the National Research Council of Canada and Edmonton Centre.

Our purpose was to use radio astronomy as a means of carrying out public science education in the province of Alberta.

Radio Astronomy has certain advantages for our purposes, including the fact that observing programs are unaffected by weather or daylight. Automation permits us to stay indoors, rather than freeze our bodies in the -40C winters we get up here.

Volunteers and participants

Physics Roof Project Volunteers and participants

Sky Scan Steering Committee

Sky Scan Project members Bruce McCurdy, Robert Rolf, Dr. Doug Hube and David Cleary with Yagi antenna for detecting meteors. Not shown here are members Sid Shugarman, Guy Almberg and Tyler Foster.