radio telescope

A large instrument that collects radio waves from space so scientists can study distant objects and search for signals.

A radio telescope detects radio waves from sources such as stars and galaxies; it can also be used to search for signals that might have been produced by life beyond Earth. Unlike an optical telescope, it detects radio waves rather than visible light.

• Researchers pointed a radio telescope at the star system for six hours.
• Could a radio telescope pick up a signal that an optical instrument would miss?
• The observatory's radio telescope detected a faint burst from far beyond our galaxy.