Jansky, a unit of measurement for radio waves discovered by astronomer Karl Jansky in the 1930s, is pronounced as "YAN-skee" /ˈjænski/. The first syllable is pronounced like the name "Jan", and the second syllable rhymes with "ski". The spelling is derived from Jansky's surname, which originates from the Czech Republic. As a tribute to Jansky's contribution to radio astronomy, the International Astronomical Union named a crater on the moon after him in 1970.
Jansky is an SI unit used to measure the intensity of radio waves or signals received from celestial objects, named after the pioneering American radio engineer Karl Jansky. It is mainly utilized in the field of radio astronomy to quantify the strength or power of radio emissions coming from celestial sources such as stars, galaxies, pulsars, and other cosmic entities.
One jansky (abbreviated as Jy) is equal to 10^-26 watts per square meter per hertz (W/m^2/Hz). This unit is based on the flux density of the radio waves received over a specific bandwidth. It allows astronomers to compare the strength of different radio sources, determine their properties, and study their behavior or evolution.
Jansky is particularly relevant in the field of radio astronomy, where observations are made at radio wavelengths to explore the universe. It allows astronomers to measure the brightness, emission, or radiation output of various celestial objects. By measuring the janskys emitted by different sources, scientists can gain insight into the physical processes occurring in these objects, such as the formation of stars, the behavior of black holes, or the dynamics of galaxies.
Overall, the jansky provides a standardized unit for quantifying the intensity of radio emissions, enabling astronomers to explore and understand the radio sky and the phenomena occurring within it more comprehensively.
The word "jansky" is derived from the surname of Karl Guthe Jansky, an American physicist and radio engineer. In the 1930s, Karl Jansky conducted pioneering research on cosmic radio waves while working at Bell Telephone Laboratories. He discovered extraterrestrial radio waves originating from the Milky Way galaxy, opening up the field of radio astronomy. As a tribute to his groundbreaking work, the unit of radio flux density, equivalent to 10^-26 watts per square meter per hertz, was named after him. Thus, the term "jansky" serves as a recognition of Karl Jansky's significant contributions to the field of radio astronomy.