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After discovering the origin of this sound, Jansky published his findings.

The Mystery Static

Jansky spent over a year studying this mystery static of unknown origin.

One of his early hypotheses was that it was radiation from the sun. However, the hissing noise would repeat on a sidereal timing rather than a solar timing (23 hours and 56 minutes rather than 24 hours).

Jansky concluded that the noise was coming from the Milky Way, near the constellation of Sagittarius.

This was proof that our Galaxy naturally emits radio waves.

What Jansky Discovered

With his antenna, Jansky found three types of static. The first two were from nearby and distant thunderstorms. The third kind was what he described as a "faint and steady hiss" with no known origin.

Publicity

Jansky presented his paper, titled "Electrical Disturbances of Apparently Extraterrestrial Origin", to the International Scientific Radio Union in D.C.

The New York Times published his findings on May 5, 1933.

Education and Early Work

Graduated in 1927 from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in Physics.

Went on to work for Bell Telephone Laboratories, located in Holmdel, New Jersey, in 1928.

Family

Death

His father, Cyril M., was born to Czech immigrants. He became a teacher at 16 and continued in that field all his life.

His mother, Nellie Moreau Jansky, had French and English roots.

His brother Cyril Jr., who was his elder by 10 years, built some of the first radio transmitters in the US.

Sadly,he contracted Bright's disease, a disease of the liver.

He died of a stroke in 1950 at age 45.

Who is Jansky?

At Bell Laboratories

Fun Fact: Because his antenna was mounted on a turntable, it earned the nickname "Jansky's merry-go-round".

Norman, Oklahoma, October 22, 1905

Red Bank, New Jersey, February 14, 1950

40 years

His job was to discover and study static that might interfere with Bell's plans for a radio telephone service.

He built an antenna that received waves with a frequency of 20.5 MHz (megahertz). These had a wavelength of 14.6 meters, or 47 feet.

The antenna had a diameter of 100 feet and was 20 feet tall.

Unfortunately, follow-up research could not be performed due to the Great Depression.

However, Jansky became known as the "Father of Radio Astronomy."

The unit of strength, or flux density, of a radio wave is a jansky.

There is also a crater on the moon named after him.

Karl Guthe Janksy

Jansky's Merry-Go-Round

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Jansky's Crater on the Moon

Karl Guthe Jansky (1905-1950)

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