Radiotelescope Experiments at Home

Magnetometer	Young Scientists Club Set 11	Telescopes
Ages 12 thru Adult	Ages 9 -12	Ages 10 and up

Conducting radiotelescope experiments at home is difficult to do since you need a radiotelescope, and radiotelescopes are very large and expensive. However, while you may not be able to conduct direct radiotelescope experiments at home, you can conduct several indirect experiments. Below are a few ideas for astronomy science projects that you can do at home.

The first option that you have for radiotelescope experiments at home is to simply conduct experiments to become familiar with the procedures used by radiotelescopes. For example, you can design an experiment that tests the hypothesis that you can use radio frequencies to identify terrestrial objects. To test this hypothesis you can use a fish finder, which uses sound to find fish.

Another experiment that you can use as a learning experience for future radiotelescope experiments at home is to develop a hypothesis and then test it using existing data. For example, you can test the hypothesis "radiotelescopes can find objects smaller than the Earth" by collecting existing data from NASA and other scientific organizations that show that this hypothesis is true or false. To prove this hypothesis is true you will need to find examples of celestial objects smaller than the Earth that have been identified using a radiotelescope.

If you are having a hard time coming up with an astronomy for kids science fair project idea that relates to radiotelescopes, then you can turn your attention to optical telescope experiments. These will be much easier to develop and execute.

The first group of optical telescope experiments that you can conduct will be simple observation experiments. For example, you can test the hypothesis that the moon remains a constant distance from the North Star regardless of the time of night you view them. To test this hypothesis you will need to chart the locations of the moon and the North Star and then determine if their perceived distance from one another remains constant throughout the night or if this distance seems to change. Explain your findings.

Another experiment that you can conduct with your optical telescope is to test the hypothesis that the brightness of a star depends on the temperature outside when viewing the star from Earth. To test this hypothesis you will need a telescope and an outside thermometer. Your job during this radio telescope experiment(s) from home will be to note the perceived brightness of a specific star and the outside temperature at specific times throughout the night. While this project can be conducted over a single night, you will create more accurate results if you repeat your experiment over the duration of several nights.