Kraus-type radio telescope

The Kraus-type radio telescope design was created by Dr. John D. Kraus (1910–2004).

Kraus-type telescopes are transit instruments, where the flat primary mirror reflects radio waves towards the spherical secondary mirror, which focuses it towards a mobile focal carriage.¹ The primary tilts north–south to select any object near the meridian,² while the focal carriage moves east–west along railroad ties to track objects near transit.¹

Examples

The Nançay radio telescope in France and the former Big Ear in Ohio are Kraus-type telescopes,¹² and the southern section of the RATAN-600 ring in Russia can operate as a Kraus-type telescope.³

References

van Driel, W.; Pezzant, J.; Gerard, E. (1997). "Renovating the Nançay radio telescope: the FORT project". In Jackson, N.; Davis, R. J. (eds.). High-Sensitivity Radio Astronomy. Cambridge University Press. p. 229. ISBN 978-0521573504. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
Ehman, Jerry R. (2011). ""Wow!" - A Tantalizing Candidate". In Shuch, H. Paul (ed.). Searching for Extraterrestrial Intelligence: SETI Past, Present, and Future. Springer. pp. 47–48. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-13196-7_4. ISBN 978-3642131967. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
Wang, Jie (2024). Eye Beyond the Sky: 27 Telescopes and Space Probes, from Hooker to JWST. Springer Nature Singapore. pp. 105–106. Retrieved 4 June 2025.

[vanDriel-1997-1] van Driel, W.; Pezzant, J.; Gerard, E. (1997). "Renovating the Nançay radio telescope: the FORT project". In Jackson, N.; Davis, R. J. (eds.). High-Sensitivity Radio Astronomy. Cambridge University Press. p. 229. ISBN 978-0521573504. Retrieved 4 June 2025.

[Ehman-2011-2] Ehman, Jerry R. (2011). ""Wow!" - A Tantalizing Candidate". In Shuch, H. Paul (ed.). Searching for Extraterrestrial Intelligence: SETI Past, Present, and Future. Springer. pp. 47–48. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-13196-7_4. ISBN 978-3642131967. Retrieved 4 June 2025.

[3] Wang, Jie (2024). Eye Beyond the Sky: 27 Telescopes and Space Probes, from Hooker to JWST. Springer Nature Singapore. pp. 105–106. Retrieved 4 June 2025.

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