Parts of Mercury’s Moon-like, rocky surface are heated by the Sun to temperatures nearing 800 degrees Fahrenheit (425 degrees Celsius). Mercury, the innermost planet of our Solar System, is less than half the size of the Earth but is twice as close to the Sun as we are. Radio telescopes discovered the surprising reflections of ice at the poles of the otherwise hot, innermost planet in our Solar System, Mercury. The 45-foot is a test facility for a large scale array of telescopes called the Frequency Agile Solar Radiotelescope, or FASR. Radio telescopes can see the burps that often precede CMEs, and are great warning devices. These tsunamis of charged particles can interrupt radio communications on the Earth, fry sensitive equipment in satellites, and even endanger the astronauts on the International Space Station.įorecasting this “space weather” is a top priority science goal as reported by the United States’ astronomical advisory committee. When the discarded loops are large enough to explode off into the Solar System, they are called coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Any material still clinging to the cast-offs is carried away as a wave of charged solar material. To regain order, field lines reconnect at the congestion points, snapping off unwanted threads and loops to make shorter, direct paths from pole to pole. As the Sun spins, its surface wraps the field into swirls, tangling it. The Sun, like most stars, has a gigantic magnetic field. The surface of the Sun is a strong source of radio emission – and of potential harm, so our 45-foot telescope in Green Bank, West Virginia monitors the Sun the entire time it is in our sky. ![]() Used as receiving stations, they help NASA and other space agencies keep track of spacecraft sent into the outer reaches of our Solar System. Used as radar devices, they map surfaces, obtain distances, and clock spins and speeds. ![]() Used as telescopes, they tell us about the temperature, composition, and magnetic activities of these bodies. We aim radio telescopes at the Sun, planets, moons, and planetesimals in our Solar System. Charged particles erupted from its moons are captured by this field and give off radio waves. ![]() Jupiter in radio waves looks like a giant lizard due to the powerful magnetic field surrounding it.
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