(This article originally appeared in the second quarter 2007 STAR Newsletter and was written by Mark Gibson. -I)

An Introduction to the Itty Bitty Telescope
by Mark Gibson

While attending the Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers (SARA) in Green Bank, WV, I was introduced to the Itty Bitty Telescope. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) and the SARA are spearheading an effort to get school children involved in Radio Astronomy. The design of this telescope allows the user to find radio sources. I volunteered to be the control operator of the telescope. I think the telescope will make an excellent addition to the club’s daytime programs with schools. If you would like to see this telescope in action or borrow this telescope for school use please contact me

Facts about the itty bitty telescope:

  1. This is a 12,000 MHz radio telescope.
  2. It can detect frequencies in the range of 12,200 to 12,700 MHz.
  3. It is not a radio telescope system that can be used for serious sky surveys.
  4. It can detect the Sun.
  5. It can detect the body radiation.
  6. It can detect 300 deg K tree branches.
  7. Using the gain adjustor, set it to 0 when pointed to cold sky. It should register 1/2 scale for human radiation or 300 deg K, and full scale on the Sun.

How can I build the itty bitty telescope? Directions are located on the Internet at http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/epo/teachers/ittybitty/procedure.html

Suggested lesson plans for the itty bitty telescope: Goal: Introduce students to Radio Astronomy with the Itty Bitty Demo.

  1. Discuss the concept of energy and our main energy source.
  2. Illustrate the electromagnetic spectrum
  3. Compare the size of wavelengths used to define the spectrum with everyday objects
  4. Describe thermal emission and predict sources of thermal emission
  5. Detect source of thermal emission with the Itty Bitty telescope.