The Radio Sky and How to Observe It - (Astronomers' Observing Guides) by Jeff Lashley (Paperback)

About the Book

This practical, self-contained guide is an ideal introduction to practical radio astronomey for the newcomer. Assuming no prior technical knowledge, it takes the reader step-by-step through the process of building and using a backyard radio telescope.

Book Synopsis

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.

From the Back Cover

We have learned a great deal about our universe not only by looking at the sky through optical telescopes but also by listening to it! Although in the past most of the great discoveries have been made by professional radio astronomers using large radio telescopes built for institutions, today even amateurs can build and use small radio telescopes and make discoveries that can contribute to the general store of knowledge. And you don't need to be an electronics genius or rich! Jeff Lashley, in this comprehensive guide to the science and art of putting together and using a small radio telescope, will lead you through the process and help you to understand what to listen for. Filled with projects and tips and great advice, he can get you underway in a hurry and help you to decode what you are hearing. So if you've been doing amateur astronomy for a while and want to expand beyond what you can see with your eyes, this is a direction you should consider going in. Or, if you've dabbled in building radios for years and want to try something new, this can be a way to expand your hobby. Either way, start now listening to the fireworks going on all around you--you'll be amazed!

Review Quotes

From the reviews:

"Lashley (National Space Centre, UK) draws on his own work building and observing with radio telescopes and receivers and provides detailed instructions for building several radio detectors ... . accessible to readers with minimal background in astronomy or electronics ... . this practical guide will likely be useful to those with a specific interest in this topic. Summing Up ... upper-division undergraduate and graduate students interested in building a radio telescope." (C. Palma, Choice, Vol. 48 (9), May, 2011)

"Observing the sky in the radio domain, although perfectly accessible to the keen amateur, requires dedication and practical skills beyond those normally needed for optical work. ... the rewards are great and those observers willing to follow Lashley's succinct advice will undoubtedly increase their enjoyment of the sky. ... inexperienced will also benefit from Lashley's no-nonsense exposition. ... If you enjoy a challenge as well as the thrill of discovery, there can be no better introduction to the field of radio astronomy than Lashley's book." (Alastair Gunn, Sky at Night Magazine, July, 2011)

"Jeff Lashley has obviously put in an immense amount of work in compiling this book and the result is a very worthwhile manual that should make it far easier for amateurs to take up this interesting area of astronomy. More than that, a colleague is seriously considering its use as a text for aspiring postgraduate radio astronomers. That is, in itself, real and deserved praise for a book that can be highly recommended." (Ian Morison, The Observatory, Vol. 132 (1226), February, 2012)

About the Author

Jeff Lashley is a technical support engineer at the National Space Centre in Leicester, UK. He has written regularly for Sunderland and Dundee newspapers. His most recent article on Radio Astronomy was published in the Radio Society of Great Britain magazine Radcom, in January 2007.