Cosmic radio waves (Jansky)
Ondas de radio de la Vía Láctea (nacimiento de la radioastronomía)
- Date
- 1932 · confidence high
- Place
- Bell Labs, Holmdel, New Jersey, United States
- Credited to
- Karl Jansky
- People
- 👤 Karl Guthe Jansky1905–1950
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
What was discovered
Investigating interference in transatlantic telephony, Jansky detected a 'hiss' that repeated every sidereal day and came from the centre of the Milky Way. It opened a window onto the universe distinct from visible light.
The unit of flux density is named after him (jansky).
What it led to
- Radio astronomy
- Discovery of quasars, pulsars and the cosmic background
- Reber's radio telescope (1937)