The exploration of the unknown

Understand

The discovery of cosmic radio emission by Karl Jansky in the course of searching for the source of interference to telephone communications and the instrumental advances which followed, have led to a series of new paradigm changing astronomical discoveries.

• These discoveries, which to a large extent define much of modern astrophysical research were the result of the right people being in the right place at the right time using powerful new instruments, which in many cases they had designed and built.
• They were not the result of trying to test any particular theoretical model or trying to answer previously posed questions, but they opened up whole new areas of exploration and discovery.
• Rather many important discoveries came from military or communications research; others while looking for something else; and yet others from just looking.