3 6
|
H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
INSIDE MANUFACTURING
Precise carbon
fber-reinforced dish
prototype could be
the model for as many
as 2,500 telescopes
in the Square
Kilometre Array.
BY JEFF SLOAN
T
Composites steady
radio telescope
reflector
here are two types of telescopes
commonly used to explore the
universe. Optical telescopes,
such as Hubble and James Webb,
rely on visible light emitted from
the stars, planets and other bodies in
space and produce photographic im-
ages. The other type, radio telescopes,
are designed to detect the radio waves
emitted by these same bodies and other
sources.
A key advantage of radio waves is that
they can pass through gases, clouds and
other obstacles in space that might block
or obscure visible light, making visible
many bodies that otherwise could re-
main hidden. Radio signals also offer in-
formation about invisible aspects of the
universe: gravity, magnetism, black holes
and dark energy. These data help astron-
omers and physicists develop a better
understanding of how the universe be-
gan, how it's organized, how it behaves
and how it's evolving.
Because radio signals have longer
wavelengths than visible light, the radio
telescope used to detect them doesn't
have to be as precisely shaped as its op-
tical cousin. But to obtain the same level
of detail and resolution as the optical
version, radio telescopes must have a
much larger collection area. The largest
radio telescope in the world, with a main
reflector dish diameter of 300m/984 ft, is
0714HPC IM_NRC-OK.indd 36 6/17/2014 10:54:29 AM