Marshall Space Flight Center
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
Whistler!
|
Space Weather Sounds Scavenger Hunt
Do you like a challenge?
These webpages can provide it! Although
some think that space is empty, there are actually many different types
of atoms and other particles throughout space. Close to the Earth, our magnetic
field can provide a conduit for spectacular and interesting phenomena, such
as aurorae and various types of radio emissions. With web resources, challenge
yourself to find the different types of radio emissions and log them, in
the same way as would a bird watcher. To learn more, read on...
When we turn on a radio, invisible radio
waves are intercepted by an antenna, amplified by the receiver in the radio,
and converted to (invisible) sound waves. A radio receiver is tuned to a
specific frequency within a certain band on the radio dial; for example,
850 (or 850 kHz) AM or 89.3 (89.3 MHz) FM. AM refers to Amplitude Modulation,
FM to Frequency modulation. These terms refer to the way the sound is put
onto the radio wave. But are there other bands?
There are also the following:
| Band |
Frequency Range |
Wavelength Range |
| Extremely Low Frequency |
< 3 kHz |
> 100 km |
| Very Low Frequency |
3 - 30 Hz |
10 - 100 km |
| Medium Frequency |
300 kHz - 3 MHz |
100 m - 1 km |
| Super High Frequency |
3 - 30 GHz |
1 - 10 cm |
| Extremely High Frequency |
30 - 300 GHz |
1 mm - 1 cm |
|
|
