radio telescope

noun

, Astronomy.

1. a system consisting of an antenna, either parabolic or dipolar, used to gather radio waves emitted by celestial sources and bring them to a receiver placed in the focus.

radio telescope

noun

1. an instrument consisting of an antenna or system of antennas connected to one or more radio receivers, used in radio astronomy to detect and analyse radio waves from space

radio telescope

1. An instrument that consists of a radio receiver and antenna system mounted on a wide, bowl-shaped reflector, used to detect radio-frequency emissions from astronomical objects. The reflector and receiver form a parabolic antenna ; incoming radio waves are focused by the reflector onto the receiver, where the radio signals are translated into electrical signals for further processing or electronic display. Due to the long wavelengths of radio waves, the reflectors of radio telescopes must be very large to focus the waves at a good resolution. Separate reflectors are sometimes linked in fixed arrays to act as a single collector.

Word History and Origins

Origin of radio telescope¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Since 1963, this behemoth radio telescope in Puerto Rico has observed everything from space rocks whizzing past Earth to mysterious blasts of radio waves from distant galaxies.

From Science News

As a result, even as the community welcomes a new cutting-edge facility in China and looks forward to the next generation of radio telescopes, Arecibo—like all observatories—filled an essential niche.

From Popular-Science

FAST is the largest single-dish radio telescope in the world.

From MIT Technology Review

We might similarly construct a lunar radio telescope in a crater on the moon.

From Singularity Hub 

Starting in 2000, astronomers using radio telescopes on Earth have seen particularly bright radio signals coming from Titan’s equator.

From Science News

Now, the Egyptian Astronomical Society has just finished constructing a new radio telescope.

From Project Gutenberg

Then the blacktop road curved out into the desert to the great radio telescope.

From Project Gutenberg

Later, the boys helped check circuits while the radio telescope swung through a variety of arcs, with Farid at the controls.

From Project Gutenberg

Parnell Winston faced the group of Egyptian scientists in the crowded radio-telescope control room.

From Project Gutenberg

Their whole attention was given to the problem of getting the big radio telescope working.

From Project Gutenberg