Astronomy & Space Science · AST-856
Radio Astronomy, ALMA & Interferometric Arrays: Foundations
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Overview
Core model: Radio Astronomy, ALMA & Interferometric Arrays
Radio astronomy measures wavelengths from millimeters to meters that reveal cold molecular gas, synchrotron radiation, pulsars, jets, the CMB, and many sources hidden from optical view. Arrays such as ALMA combine signals from multiple antennas to achieve angular resolution set mainly by the maximum separation between elements.
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References & evidence
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- 01About ALMAOpen source ↗
ALMA Observatory
- 02Telescopes TodayOpen source ↗
OpenStax Astronomy 2e
View claim-by-claim traceability3 verified claims
The relative arrival phase of a wavefront at separated antennas encodes source direction and structure.
supported · checked Sep 22, 2026Interferometric observations resolve protoplanetary disk rings, molecular clouds, distant galaxies, stellar atmospheres, and horizon-scale structures when very-long-baseline networks are used.
supported · checked Sep 22, 2026Radio astronomy measures wavelengths from millimeters to meters that reveal cold molecular gas, synchrotron radiation, pulsars, jets, the CMB, and many sources hidden from optical view.
supported · checked Sep 22, 2026