A large, highly sensitive radio telescope in India could be disrupted by passing trains in the future. Astronomers fear this after the Indian government has given approval in principle for the construction of electrically powered high-speed lines near the telescope in the city of Pune. The Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) is used to intercept weak, low-frequency radio signals.
According to “Science,” the GMRT network of 30 antennas stretches over 25 square kilometers. The telescope examined some particularly distant galaxies and one of the largest known explosions in the universe.
But why are the trains disturbing the telescope at all? “The main villain here is the pantograph, which sits on top of the train motor and constantly touches the high voltage wire at the top to draw electricity to propel the train,” said Yashwant Gupta, chief of the National Center for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), according to Science. Magazine.sci-fi”. The NCRA operates the GMRT.
The pantograph therefore produces sparks that can drown out the entire spectrum of fine radio signals that the telescope is supposed to study. Gupta and other astronomers hope that the rail lines can be built a little further away to reduce interference.
When scientists first chose the site for the GMRT in the 1980s, there was little man-made noise in the area, the Indian Express wrote. The area is now more populated. The scientists behind the telescope tried to reduce such interference where possible.
Source: Krone
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