The Radio Sky and How to Observe It
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Review
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)
Product Description
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.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a fascinating area of work, and for the amateur you detect fairly quickly that the author of this book has got not just the theory but a wealth of practical professional knowledge that will enable modest set ups access radio events in the solar system. When I say modest I mean compared to Jodrell bank. For anything outside the solar system you are talking on the scale of 10 meter dishes.
The Radio Sky is not easy reading! You will need to be some way into astronomy and physics and be prepared for a step change in your grasp of radio electronics. A lot of the theory for the latter is provided, but it is of course very mathematical. And there is a lot more maths in this book than the product description would lead you to suppose! They say the book is divided into 2 parts, and this is where my difficulties began, part 1 the astronomy of the radio sky and part 2 the technology to access it. But in practice these objectives are distributed across the book in ways I found difficult to follow. There are so many occasions where concepts are developed using 5 or 6 key terms that are explained in subsequent chapters.
This book requires some navigation! The journey will be worth it as the author's hands on knowledge leads you into, what feels like, an apprenticeship in radio for radio astronomy. This is both the book's strength and weakness. To be an apprentice you really need to be there with the 'master' watching what he's doing. He explains why bits of kit are useful for radio astronomy and how to set them up, but he bemoans the fact they are no longer available and that you will need to acquire other available bits of kit and modify them - this is where your firm grip of radio and TV electronics will become helpful. Very experienced amateur astronomers will know about 'modded' optical accessories etc., but for radio work it is a step change! And, like most 'masters' who prefer to work with apprentices hands on, the explicitness of the written explanations is very uneven. The best writing in the book occurs when the author is in free flow showing you how bits of kit work and how they can be adapted. Some of the theory is very terse. The author doesn't like kit 'construction by numbers' and prefers schematics with construction plans that don't easily relate. I'm sure there are better ways to illustrate set ups and work back to schematics.
The good news is that the first solar radio project is relatively straightforward - I can do this! You quickly discover that radio astronomy (like the more serious optical counterpart) requires different telescopes, receivers. amplifiers etc. for different frequency bands. The first project (that I can do) isn't technically radio astronomy! It's a very low frequency solar flare monitor which essentially is about detecting changes due to earth atmospherics than the from the sun directly. The subsequent projects are logarithmic step changes in difficulty from this!
If I had designed the book to aim it at someone like me (a keen backyard amateur with a few degrees and some experience of junior kit building) I would have set it out a bit differently. I think this book is really going to appeal most to very serious, somewhat experienced, radio astronomers who are quite a bit further down the line than me - for them I'm sure this book will be the answer to prayers, the author is a uniquely placed professional in this line of work as both a technician and theoretician. I just wish there were a load of DVDs with this book!
The Radio Sky is not easy reading! You will need to be some way into astronomy and physics and be prepared for a step change in your grasp of radio electronics. A lot of the theory for the latter is provided, but it is of course very mathematical. And there is a lot more maths in this book than the product description would lead you to suppose! They say the book is divided into 2 parts, and this is where my difficulties began, part 1 the astronomy of the radio sky and part 2 the technology to access it. But in practice these objectives are distributed across the book in ways I found difficult to follow. There are so many occasions where concepts are developed using 5 or 6 key terms that are explained in subsequent chapters.
This book requires some navigation! The journey will be worth it as the author's hands on knowledge leads you into, what feels like, an apprenticeship in radio for radio astronomy. This is both the book's strength and weakness. To be an apprentice you really need to be there with the 'master' watching what he's doing. He explains why bits of kit are useful for radio astronomy and how to set them up, but he bemoans the fact they are no longer available and that you will need to acquire other available bits of kit and modify them - this is where your firm grip of radio and TV electronics will become helpful. Very experienced amateur astronomers will know about 'modded' optical accessories etc., but for radio work it is a step change! And, like most 'masters' who prefer to work with apprentices hands on, the explicitness of the written explanations is very uneven. The best writing in the book occurs when the author is in free flow showing you how bits of kit work and how they can be adapted. Some of the theory is very terse. The author doesn't like kit 'construction by numbers' and prefers schematics with construction plans that don't easily relate. I'm sure there are better ways to illustrate set ups and work back to schematics.
The good news is that the first solar radio project is relatively straightforward - I can do this! You quickly discover that radio astronomy (like the more serious optical counterpart) requires different telescopes, receivers. amplifiers etc. for different frequency bands. The first project (that I can do) isn't technically radio astronomy! It's a very low frequency solar flare monitor which essentially is about detecting changes due to earth atmospherics than the from the sun directly. The subsequent projects are logarithmic step changes in difficulty from this!
If I had designed the book to aim it at someone like me (a keen backyard amateur with a few degrees and some experience of junior kit building) I would have set it out a bit differently. I think this book is really going to appeal most to very serious, somewhat experienced, radio astronomers who are quite a bit further down the line than me - for them I'm sure this book will be the answer to prayers, the author is a uniquely placed professional in this line of work as both a technician and theoretician. I just wish there were a load of DVDs with this book!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
A Practical Guide
4 Jan 2011
Format:Paperback
If you're looking for a starting point to break into amateur radio astronomy, this is the best book I've come across so far. Wanting to be involved in amateur science as a hobby in my spare time and working toward an astronomy minor, I've been looking to create my own setups for both optical and radio observation (especially on a budget, as a college student), but the sources on radio astronomy have always been a little too dense for me (particularly the books on the science of radio systems and antenna engineering). The Radio Sky talks about many subjects I've covered before, but presents them in a focused and practical manner relating specifically to radio observation. There are a number of simple equations and formulas to be encountered, but don't expect too much theory from this book.
The book is organized into several different chapters and into three informal sections, with labeled "tabs" on the edges of each page organizing the book somewhat like a project binder. While the organization and order of presentation of the material isn't quite what I would like it to be, the faux tab feature makes it easier to thumb through and locate particular material. There are also a few issues of clarity including the manner of presentation, formatting issues, and typos that may sometimes force you to have a double take or annoy nitpickers, these issues are not severe - the book is also in the first edition, so it is understandable and almost expected.
Although the book mentions in the preface that no prior knowledge of electronics is assumed, I would highly recommend at least somewhat of a familiarity with classical physics, particularly relating to electricity and circuits, although knowledge about magnetism and waves doesn't hurt. Also, while not as necessary, having the knowledge from introductory courses in astronomy can enhance your understanding and appreciation of some of the material. However, in my reading so far, of particular help to me was the latter half of the book which contains detailed project descriptions. While I have not had time yet to implement any of the projects since I received this book, I'll try to return later and follow up after I work with the local SPS this upcoming semester.
The book is organized into several different chapters and into three informal sections, with labeled "tabs" on the edges of each page organizing the book somewhat like a project binder. While the organization and order of presentation of the material isn't quite what I would like it to be, the faux tab feature makes it easier to thumb through and locate particular material. There are also a few issues of clarity including the manner of presentation, formatting issues, and typos that may sometimes force you to have a double take or annoy nitpickers, these issues are not severe - the book is also in the first edition, so it is understandable and almost expected.
Although the book mentions in the preface that no prior knowledge of electronics is assumed, I would highly recommend at least somewhat of a familiarity with classical physics, particularly relating to electricity and circuits, although knowledge about magnetism and waves doesn't hurt. Also, while not as necessary, having the knowledge from introductory courses in astronomy can enhance your understanding and appreciation of some of the material. However, in my reading so far, of particular help to me was the latter half of the book which contains detailed project descriptions. While I have not had time yet to implement any of the projects since I received this book, I'll try to return later and follow up after I work with the local SPS this upcoming semester.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Radio Sky
12 Jan 2011
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
An easy to read guide to basic radio telescope construction. According to Jeff Lashley the sound card from a desktop computer and a simple ariel can get you started. I see this book as a great aid to high school students wanting to do an interesting science project, or the amateur radio enthusiast who wants to branch out into a different area. Recommended.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Descent intro to the subject
23 Oct 2011
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Descent intro to the subject but has a lot of information that only goes halfway. For example it gives schematics and info for building a spectrometer which uses a I2C TV tuner, but then doesn't tell you how to actually control the tuner in a way that would let you use the spectrometer as a spectrometer. Just seems weird to introduce the topic, walk you through it and then leave you empty handed.
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