An Introduction to Radio Astronomy [Paperback]

Bernard F. Burke (Author), Francis Graham-Smith (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 052155604X | ISBN-13: 978-0521556040 | Publication Date: December 28, 1996

Radio astronomy uses unique observational techniques and offers the only way to investigate many phenomena in the Universe. This book, by two founders of the field, presents both a clear introduction to radio telescopes and techniques and a broad overview of the radio universe. In the first half of the book, we are shown clearly how radio telescopes work - from basic antennas and single aperture dishes through to full aperture synthesis arrays. In the second half, a wide-ranging and up-to-date review is provided of radio observations of our Milky Way galaxy, stars, pulsars, radio galaxies, quasars and the cosmic microwave background. Handy reviews of Fourier Transform theory, celestial co-ordinate systems and a historical outline of the subject are provided in appendices. Wide-ranging and clearly written, this book provides a thorough introduction to the subject for graduate students, and an invaluable overview for researchers turning to radio astronomy for the first time.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'... this book is a clear and timely description of the current 'state of the art' on the subject ... Written by two of the world's leading radio astronomers ... the account is certainly authoritative ... there is plenty here to interest and stimulate ... If you are looking for an up-to-date review of radio astronomy, from the telescopes and techniques to the fabulous wonders of the Universe they reveal, then this is the book for you.' Geoff Macdonald, Astronomy Now

'The authors are to be praised ... a broad coverage of topics ... a comprehensive overview of the impact of radio astronomy on astrophysics.' Paul Hewett, Endeavour

'Two grand masters with insight, perspective and detailed knowledge, Bernard F. Burke and Francis Graham-Smith, have filled their sweeping An Introduction to Radio Astronomy with interesting titbits and intricate interconnections.' Carl Heiles, Physics Today

Book Description

Radio astronomy uses unique observational techniques and offers the only way to investigate many phenomena in the Universe. This graduate textbook, by two founders of the field, provides both a clear introduction to radio telescopes and techniques, and a broad overview of the radio universe.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 309 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (December 28, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052155604X
• ISBN-13: 978-0521556040
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,029,875 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book covering all fundamentals of radio astronomy, April 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: An Introduction to Radio Astronomy (Paperback)

This is a most excellent introduction to Radio astronomy. The book is well layed out, has good explanations and provides many leads to further study. The book's contents are:

Radio telescopes as antennas. Signal detection and noise. Single-aperture raido telescopes. The two element interferometer. Aperture synthesis. The absorption, amplification, refraction and attenuation of radio waves. Galactic continuum radiation. The interstellar medium. Galactic Dynamics. Stars. Pulsars. Radio galaxies and quasars. Cosmology and the cosmic microwave background. Cosmology: discrete radio sources and gravitational lenses. The place of radio in astronomy.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Advanced Introduction - Targets Researchers and Graduate Astronomy Students, But Accessible to Others, May 28, 2006

By 

Michael Wischmeyer (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Introduction to Radio Astronomy (Paperback)

An Introduction to Radio Astronomy (1997) targets astronomy graduate students and others committed professionally to radio astronomy. The authors - two noted radio astronomers, Bernard F. Burke and Francis Graham-Smith - also hope to interest optical astronomers and others who want to be informed of the principal ideas current in radio astronomy, and may even be thinking of carrying out radio observations that would complement other work in progress.

With a background in geophysics, I did not always find An Introduction to Radio Astronomy to be easy going, but most topics were not out of reach. That is, readers with some background in physics, electrical engineering, and/or signal processing will find substantial familiar ground, including electromagnetics, thermodynamics, Fourier analysis, and spectral analysis. I give five stars to this not-so-easy, self-contained, advanced introduction to radio astronomy.

I found the first six chapters (about 80 pages) to be the most challenging, perhaps due to my limited familiarity with radio telescopes. Key topics included radio telescopes as antenna, signal detection and noise, single-aperture radio telescopes, the two-element interferometer, and aperture synthesis.

Chapter 7 - the absorption, amplification, refraction, and attenuation of radio waves - addresses radiative transfer, astrophysical masers, radio propagation through ionized gas, Faraday rotation of polarized waves, scintillation (radio amplitude variations akin to the optical twinkling of stars), and radio propagation in the earth's atmosphere. Take your time with this chapter as the authors frequently return to these topics.

The remaining nine chapters offer a wide-ranging review of the radio universe and are more immediately accessible to a wider audience. The chapter titles are Galactic Continuum Radiation, The Interstellar Medium (ISM), Galactic Dynamics, Stars, Pulsars, Radio Galaxies and Quasars, Cosmology and the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), Cosmology: Discrete Radio Sources and Gravitational Lenses, and The Place of Radio in Astronomy.

Two Suggestions: I strongly urge the reader to stay the course with the first seven chapters as the later chapters require a basic understanding of radio observation methodologies, antenna temperature, radio brightness temperature, non-thermal radiation, 21 centimeter radiation, bremsstrahlung emission spectra, etc.

Also, a reader that is relatively new to radio astronomy will find it helpful to read at an early stage the three appendices: Appendix 1 - a concise review of Fourier transforms, intended as a review, not as a self-tutorial, Appendix 2 - a general overview of celestial coordinates , distance, and time, and Appendix 3 - a fascinating account of the origins of radio astronomy (1932 -1954).

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hard Read, January 2, 2008

By 

Paul "Cosmic Dreamer" (Gilroy, CA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Introduction to Radio Astronomy (Paperback)

In a graduate course that I was taking on Radio Astronomy, this book was often criticized by the students. In short, it was a difficult book to wade through. If my education had included more study of the Greek alphabet, maybe the long recitations of formulae would not have made this the book you can't pick up. I'm just going to assume that all the math you would want is right here but you don't get to see them in action. It is pretty clearly a course textbook but there are no problems to solve and no attempt to work through examples.

I do want to make a strong plug for the 3 appendices. One is a good introduction to Fourier transforms (27 formulae in 8 pages without any examples worked out - typical for this book); the second discusses celestial coordinates, distances and time; the third is the best 7 page history of radio astronomy that you will find.