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Turning an Old Satellite Dish into a Radio Telescope

-- | September 27, 2012
Radio Telescope VLA

Question:  I have a old satellite dish in the yard [that I] wanted to use for radio astronomy for the kids.  It is 10ft [in diameter.  How can I make it observe astronomical objects?]  — Bill

Answer:  In fact, you can turn an old satellite dish into a radio telescope, but you can probably only see some nearby objects, such as the Sun or some communications satellites.  For information on how to turn a satellite dish into a radio telescope, see the Science in School description of how to build your own radio telescope.

Jeff Mangum