Colloq Abstract - Charbonneau
March 10, 2023
11:00am Mountain
Rebecca Charbonneau (NRAO)
The Variety of Signals in Cold War Radio Astronomy
Abstract
Defined simply, the role of the radio astronomer is to make sense of signals. In most cases, this means processing and analyzing the electrical impulses made by receivers in radio telescopes after detecting an electromagnetic wave from outer space. In the Cold War period, however, the American radio astronomer had to process other types of signals from decidedly Earth-based sources-- signals from governments, their Soviet colleagues, and the military.
This talk explores the varieties of signals--astronomical or otherwise-- that astronomers deciphered during the Cold War. In doing so, we will learn how astronomers navigated tense geopolitical atmospheres in the pursuit of open scientific communication.
