Radio Astronomy
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How many degrees wide is M31 Andromeda Galaxy, in order that I can set up a radio mapping exercise on the 20m Skynet Dish at Greenbank Observatory using SARA account?
A perk of SARA membership that we can use the 20m Skynet dish. The angular size of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) depends on how faint an outer region you include:…
On two coincident muon detectors, with scintillators 5 x 5 cm horizontally, and 6cm between detectors what reduction in detection would you expect from geometry alone compared to 1cm between detectors?
For two identical horizontal scintillators of size 5 x 5 cm, the coincidence rate drops as detector spacing increases because the allowed angular acceptance narrows. A useful estimate is: tan(theta_max)…
Has anyone measured effect of temperature on response of scintillators in Cosmic Watch muon detectors?
Yes — there have been a few measurements and discussions of temperature effects in CosmicWatch-style scintillator/SiPM muon detectors, though not many formal dedicated studies. The main effect is usually not…
What are types of cloud chamber?
There are several major types of cloud chamber and related particle-track detectors. They all work by making charged particles visible as trails. 1. Diffusion cloud chamber This is the most…
When a muon travels through our atmosphere, what is the chance that it will interact with something in the atmosphere?
A muon passing through the atmosphere is very likely to interact many times electromagnetically, but very unlikely to undergo a major nuclear interaction or be stopped outright. The key point…
Are muons charged?
Yes — muons are electrically charged particles. A muon is similar to an electron but much heavier (about 207 times the electron’s mass). There are two types: The elementary charge…
Calculating attenuation of muons in lead – ASCII text version
1. Basic physics Cosmic-ray muons at ground level: Approximate stopping power in lead: dE/dx ≈ 1.5 to 2 MeV g^-1 cm^2 Lead density: rho_Pb ≈ 11.34 g/cm^3 So energy loss…
How to calculate a table showing attenuation of muons by lead thickness, and analysing the results I have obtained at LRO with difference quantities of lead between two CosmicWatch muon detectors in coincidence arrangement 17/5/2026
The following has come from ChatGPT. (An ASCII text version of this post is available for people who have difficulty reading this page at https://www.astronomy.me.uk/calulat8ng-attenuation-of-muons-in-lead-ascii-text-version) Assessing the results from LRO…
LRO Experiment to test effect of placing various amounts of lead between two x UKRAA CosmicWatch Muon Detectors in coincidence mode 16-17 May 2026
This experiment was suggested to me at the last SARA online meeting. Here are the results – I started with zero and build up to 5, and to confirm went…