Radioastronomic hardware complex of meteor monitoring for the STEM-center of the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

Abstract

The perspective of the development of radio astronomy for the virtual STEM center of the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine is substantiated. This direction corresponds to the modern concept of STEM, as it has pronounced transdisciplinary connections with natural sciences, engineering, technology and mathematics. For the full­fledged existence and development of the field of radio astronomy in STEM education, a powerful practical part is necessary, which in turn requires certain equipment for its implementation. One of the areas of radio astronomy that does not require complex and expensive equipment is the observation of meteor phenomena using direct scattering on ionized meteor trails of signals from over­the­horizon FM radio broadcasting stations in the range of 87.5 …108 MHz. A radio astronomical hardware complex for meteor monitoring, consisting of a receiving directional antenna, a radio frequency amplifier with an adjustable power injector, an SDR receiver RTL2832U + R820T2 and a computer with the necessary software, was designed, built and tested. During the tests of the complex, several meteor phenomena were registered synchronously with their visual observations, which testifies to its correct functioning. The created radio astronomy complex allows expanding the possibilities of educational astronomical observations, making them available at any time of the day. The use of SDR technology allows you to work with the complex remotely. Working with the hardware complex contributes to the development of a number of competencies related to natural sciences, radio reception technology, work with software, selection and adjustment of equipment, mathematical modeling and processing of experimental results. Radio complexes based on SDR technologies can be created and used also for other observations, for example, the study of radio radiation from Jupiter, the study of the passage of radio waves depending on the state of the ionosphere and solar activity, the observation of artificial satellites of the Earth, which can form the basis of the further development of the direction of radio astronomy in STEM education.