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How We Use Radio Waves
Radio waves are often used for communication. Aside from transmitting music from radio stations, radio waves are used by the military, airports, and by safety officers to relay information. The wifi router in your home uses radio waves to transmit signals. Even astronauts can use radio waves while they are in outer space to communicate with each other and with NASA back on Earth.
What We Can Learn From Radio Waves
Radio waves can help us find stars, galaxies, comets and other celestial bodies that are too distant for our eyes to see. These telescopes look like huge satellite dishes and can be up to 60 m wide! Radio astronomy is extremely useful because it can be used during the day and even low energy objects like dust and gas clouds give off radio waves.
Radio Wave Images
Visible light vs radio light image of a spiral galaxy
A picture of our sun using a radio telescope
Other Info
Radio waves are NOT sound waves! They are light waves that your radio interprets so that it knows what sounds to produce. Each radio station sends out waves at a specific frequency. The numbers for a radio station (like 102.7) are actually the frequency of the station.
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