CONSTRUCTION OF A SIMPLE, LOW-COST RADIO-TELESCOPE TO DETERMINE THE SURFACE TEMPERATURE OF PLANET MERCURY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60787/tnamp.v25.758Keywords:
low-cost, Radio-telescope, Mercury, Planets, Surface, TemperatureAbstract
This paper describes the design and validation of a low-cost radio telescope for estimating Mercury’s surface temperature. Using a parabolic dish, lownoise amplifier, and software-defined radio (SDR), the system detects microwave thermal emissions. The methodology focuses on affordability and reproducibility for educational and citizen-science use. The study details theoretical modeling of Mercury’s emissions, Sky / Tipping Calibration, and signal processing to isolate signatures from noise. Results show that this accessible system achieves a signal-to-noise ratio sufficient for brightness temperature estimates that align closely with professional observatory data. While limited by aperture size, the project proves that high-quality planetary thermal measurements are possible with minimal financial investment. This work provides a full framework for replicating the system and highlights the potential for small-scale radio astronomy to support planetary science research and outreach.
Downloads
References
Losev, Alexandre (2012). "'Astronomy' or 'astrology': A brief history of an apparent confusion". Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage. 15 (1): 42–46. arXiv:1006.5209. Bibcode:2012JAHH...15...42L. doi:10.3724/SP.J.1440-2807.2012.01.05. ISSN 1440-2807. S2CID 51802196
JJ Condon, SM Ransom(2016). Essential radio astronomy.Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691137797
Lu, X. (2024). Revolutionizing astronomy: Technological advancements and future horizons. Mathematical Physics and Computational Simulation DOI: 10.54254/2753-8818/36/20240503
Burke, Bernard F. (2019). An introduction to radio astronomy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-107-18941-6. OCLC 1199628889.
Mehta, Akul (25 August 2011). "Introduction to the Electromagnetic Spectrum and Spectroscopy". Pharmaxchange.info. Retrieved 2011-11-08.
Jonathan M. Marr, Ronald L. Snell, and Stanley E. Kurtz is as follows: Marr, J. M., Snell, R. L., & Kurtz, S. E. (2015). Fundamentals of Radio Astronomy: Observational Methods. CRC Press.
Verschuur, Gerrit (2007). The Invisible Universe: The Story of Radio Astronomy (2 ed.). Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 8–10. ISBN 978-0387683607.
Kirkman-Bey, M., Cintron-Tirado, P.N., Sebsebie, R., Dogan, N.S., & Xie, Z. (2014). Design and simulation of Ku-Band Low-Noise Block Down-Converter in 0.18 micrometer CMOS technology. IEEE SOUTHEASTCON 2014, 1-6.
Bevelacqua, Peter J. (2011). "The Parabolic Reflector Antenna". Antenna Types. AntennaTheory.com website. Retrieved 4 September 2024
https://telescopeguides.com/wpautoterms/sitemap/
a] Lim Wei Gie(2018). Design and Development of a Portable Radio Telescope. http://eprints.utar.edu.my/2835/1/EE%2D2018%2D1405868%2D1.pdf
b] Nicholas Bruce et. al., (2026). Wideband RFI Monitor Requirements, Design, and Commissioning at DRAO. https://arxiv.org/html/2605.08479v1
Bauch, Karin & Hiesinger, H. & Greenhagen, Benjamin & Helbert, Jörn. (2020). Estimation of surface temperatures on Mercury in preparation of the MERTIS experiment onboard BepiColombo. Icarus. 354. 114083. 10.1016/j.icarus.2020.114083.
Vidmachenko, A.. (2023). About the thermal properties of Mercury. Progressive research in the modern world, pp. 174 -183 chap 31
Bott, Nicolas & Brunetto, Rosario & Doressoundiram, Alain & Carli, Cristian & Capaccioni, Fabrizio & Langevin, Yves & Perna, Davide & Poulet, François & Serventi, Giovanna & Sgavetti, Maria & Vetere, Francesco & Perugini, Diego & Pauselli, Cristina & Borondics, Ferenc & Sandt, Christophe. (2023). Effects of Temperature on Visible and Infrared Spectra of Mercury Minerals Analogues. Minerals. 13. 250. 10.3390/min13020250.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 The Transactions of the Nigerian Association of Mathematical Physics
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
