Club Meeting - March 2010

Date:  March 13, 2010
Time:  10 AM
Location:  Cache County Sheriff's complex 3rd floor, 1225 W 200 N, Logan

The Bridgerland Amateur Radio Club (BARC) meeting topic will be "Amateur Radio Astronomy".   Dale Hooper will be our guest speaker.  Dale works at the Space Dynamics Laboratory and is a member of the Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers (SARA).  

Radio astronomy is a subfield of astronomy that studies celestial objects at radio frequencies.  The visible light spectrum from stars is just a small part of the overall electromagnetic emissions of stars and other objects in the heavens.  With radio astronomy, astronomical phenomena that are often invisible in other portions of the electromagnetic spectrum can be studied to obtain a much clearer picture of stars and galaxies than is possible by means of optical observation.  Stars, planets, galaxies, clouds of dust and gas, and other matter in space are sending out electromagnetic energy all the time.  There are also other classes of objects, such as Radio Galaxies, Pulsars and Masers.  The radio frequency range of most importance to radio astronomy that can be observable from earth is approximately from 1 centimeter to 10 meters.

The world's second radio telescope was built by an amateur radio operator, Grote Reber, in 1937.  Amateurs use a variety of equipment, sometimes modified satellite receivers and dishes, to build their radio telescopes.

Be sure to attend our March club meeting to learn more about Amateur Radio Astronomy.  See you there.