jhetley: (Default)
jhetley ([personal profile] jhetley) wrote2005-05-24 07:10 pm

NEWS FLASH! -- Sun Seen!

For a short period this afternoon, in a limited area, evidence was spotted supporting the hypothesis that the sun actually exists. This offer available for a limited time only, void where prohibited.

[identity profile] copperwise.livejournal.com 2005-05-24 04:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Scared! Big ball of fire in sky! World ending!

[identity profile] wcg.livejournal.com 2005-05-24 04:26 pm (UTC)(link)
I made a confirming radio telescope observation. The Sun is still the brightest radio source in the sky, even when rain is falling.

[identity profile] jhetley.livejournal.com 2005-05-24 07:04 pm (UTC)(link)
I had thought -- technology of vacuum tube age, back when I still understood electrons -- that radio-astronomers avoided aiming at or really near the sun.

[identity profile] wcg.livejournal.com 2005-05-24 07:17 pm (UTC)(link)
A great many precautions must be taken. First, a wire mesh dish is preferred. Second, the filters placed into the signal processing train are rather more reflective than what would be used for any other celestial target.

That said, there's actually an awful lot of solar radio astronomy done. The sun is very interesting at radio wavelengths.

bleah

[identity profile] wen-spencer.livejournal.com 2005-05-25 04:32 am (UTC)(link)
It's a non-show here. Rain, rain, rain. Worse, werewolves have been messing with my head.

Re: bleah

[identity profile] jhetley.livejournal.com 2005-05-25 05:01 am (UTC)(link)
"...werewolves have been messing with my head."

In my case, it's been selkies and spirit bears and a 14-year-old witch with a 9mm auto....

[identity profile] jhetley.livejournal.com 2005-05-25 05:03 am (UTC)(link)
My information would be circa 1968, at a large-ish dish run by the University of Michigan north of Ann Arbor. Don't know if it still exists.

Re: bleah

[identity profile] wen-spencer.livejournal.com 2005-05-25 08:17 am (UTC)(link)
Oh cool!!! Sounds like a fun read!