Arecibo Observatory

Today's blog will be regarding the Arecibo Observatory which is located in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arecibo_Observatory) Unlike a traditional telescope that we think about such as the mirror type telescope used by Galileo; this telescope is a radio telescope. It is  used to detect radio-frequency radiation emitted by extraterrestrial sources. Much like a concave mirror, the waves are reflected from the sides and concentrated (and received) in the middle of the telescope where the receiver is. This is to amplify the signal. So why would this type of telescope would be worthwhile to invest in and use on practical scales? This radio telescope as stated earlier, detects radio-frequency radiation, which allows us to analyze and determine the composition of the light of the stars that we are measuring. We can actually measure the type of material the star is composed of just by measuring the wavelengths of the measured waves.