All Questions
Tagged with interferometry observational-astronomy
21
questions
13
votes
2
answers
258
views
Why hasn't VLBI been used to try and image giant exoplanets?
A Jupiter-sized object at 10 pc subtends an angle of 0.0001 arcseconds (100 micro-arcsec) at the Earth. The Event Horizon Telescope interferometry network is capable of a (demonstrated) angular ...
- 156k
11
votes
1
answer
610
views
Was GRAVITY built to look at one star?
GRAVITY (shown below) is a interferometric combiner of near infrared light from four very large telescopes called The Very Large Telescope in order to make careful astrometric measurements near the ...
- 30.7k
7
votes
1
answer
106
views
What could a cloud of mini radio dishes see?
Suppose an astronomer gave a 1 m radio dish to 500 people scattered over the face of the Earth and connected them to the internet. The people are directed to set their radio antennae up in their ...
- 652
6
votes
1
answer
1k
views
rms noise, confusion and dynamic range in radio images
I have been trying to understand imaging in radio astronomy. Below are some of my questions related to it and my understanding of their answers. I am not very confident about my understanding of them ...
- 131
6
votes
2
answers
107
views
In terms of results, how similar is a bunch of telescopes across the globe to an Earth-sized telescope?
The Event Horizon Telescope emulates an Earth-sized telescope by syncing a bunch of radio telescopes across the planet to do take pictures with a small enough angular resolution to take pictures of a ...
- 1,758
6
votes
1
answer
156
views
Reference request (explaining) how optical correlators combine light from multiple telescopes to produce ultra-high resolution interferometric images?
This is a reference or resource-request because it may be too challenging to explain in an answer post, but if you'd like to attempt a short summary as well, that will be great!
I have a basic ...
- 30.7k
4
votes
1
answer
136
views
Have interference effects (in space) ever been observed by a single instrument, as opposed to interferometry?
Not asking about:
Interferometry can be done with multiple instruments who's light paths or signals are combined interferometrically, or even between different parts of a single aperture, e.g.
What ...
- 30.7k
4
votes
1
answer
118
views
What is the significance of using baseline pairs in radio interferometry?
Radio interferometry utilizes arrays of smaller telescopes that are linked together to synthesize a larger aperture telescope. Astronomical radio observatories, such as the Very Large Array in New ...
- 1,111
4
votes
0
answers
137
views
How did Michelson measure the diameters of jupiter's moons using optical interferometry?
In Betelgeuse: How its Diameter was measured (Chant, C. A., Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Vol. 15, p.133, Bibliographic Code: 1921JRASC..15..133C) the author says:
The paper in ...
- 30.7k
3
votes
1
answer
257
views
Has optical interferometry been done at radio frequency using heterodyning with a laser in a nonlinear material?
If one collects narrow band optical emission from a large telescope with frequency $f_1$ and mixes it in a nonlinear crystal with laser light of a nearby frequency $f_2$, it would produce two new ...
- 30.7k
3
votes
1
answer
96
views
What are the challenges for the building and data analysis of the CHIME telescope?
The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) has discovered the second repeated fast radio burst recently. However, its structure is simple apparently. I wonder why we did not build a ...
- 3,137
3
votes
0
answers
79
views
Mega Telescope using gravitational lensing and interferometry
I have been thinking about this crazy telescope idea, but I am not smart enough to understand if it's technically possible. I understand from an engineering and practical point of view it's a long way ...
- 51
2
votes
1
answer
104
views
Is radar interferometry used, or feasible, for ground based astronomy?
I've heard of "interferometric synthetic aperture radar" being used for Earth observation from satellites and airplanes. Is active radar used interferometrically for astronomical purposes too? Such as ...
- 11.4k
2
votes
1
answer
261
views
Will the Magdalena Ridge Optical Interferometer be able to image extended objects like the surface of the Moon?
Inspired by several questions:
When will a moon landing site be visible via telescope?
Could the E.H.T. produce an image of the human artifacts on the moon?
Picture of equipment left on the Moon?
...
- 30.7k
2
votes
1
answer
119
views
What does a narrow-band "point spread function" look like for long exposures from the VLT's large interferometric aperture?
In interferometric radio astronomy UV plots are the first step in understanding what a point spread function (PSF) will look like for a given location in the sky observed over a period of time. The ...
- 30.7k