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Clip description
This clip introduces radio astronomy as a new branch of science that uses radio equipment rather than telescopes to study the stars and sun. A series of shots illustrate the design of the equipment. Receiving machines measure the intensity of ‘bursts’ and ‘outbursts’ of solar activity.
Curator’s notes
It was the successful use of radar by Allied forces during the Second World War that cemented radiophysics as a 'new branch of science’. British scientists were responsible for the early research into radar technology but shared their findings with Australia and the United States. The Radiophysics Laboratory was established in 1939 but quickly became a division of the CSIRO the following year. The first chief was Dr DF Martyn, and the division operated out of premises at the University of Sydney. In 1996, the Division of Radiophysics merged with the Division of Applied Physics to become 'CSIRO, Telecommunications and Industrial Physics’.
