The Kraus-type
radio telescope design was created by Dr.
John D. Kraus (1910–2004).
Kraus-type telescopes are
transit
Transit may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film
* ''Transit'' (1979 film), a 1979 Israeli film
* ''Transit'' (2005 film), a film produced by MTV and Staying-Alive about four people in countries in the world
* ''Transit'' (2006 film), a 2006 ...
instruments, where the flat
primary mirror reflects radio waves towards the
spherical secondary mirror, which focuses it towards a mobile focal carriage. The primary tilts north–south to select any object near the
meridian
Meridian or a meridian line (from Latin ''meridies'' via Old French ''meridiane'', meaning “midday”) may refer to
Science
* Meridian (astronomy), imaginary circle in a plane perpendicular to the planes of the celestial equator and horizon
* ...
, while the focal carriage moves east–west along
railroad
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
ties to track objects near transit.
Examples
The
Nançay radio telescope in France and the former
Big Ear in Ohio are Kraus-type telescopes, and the southern section of the
RATAN-600 ring in Russia can operate as a Kraus-type telescope.
Radio telescopes
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