Portal:Radiation astronomy/Lesson/2
First neutron source in Volans[edit | edit source]
The first neutron source in Volans is unknown.
The field of neutron astronomy is the result of observations and theories about neutron sources detected in the sky above.
The first astronomical neutron source discovered may have been the Sun.
But, neutrons from the Sun are intermingled with other radiation so that the Sun may appear as other than a primary source for neutrons.
The early use of sounding rockets and balloons to carry neutron detectors high enough may have detected neutrons from the Sun as early as the 1940s.
This is a lesson in map reading, coordinate matching, and researching. It is also a research project in the history of neutron astronomy looking for the first astronomical neutron source discovered in the constellation of Volans.
Nearly all the background you need to participate and learn by doing you've probably already been introduced to at a secondary level and perhaps even a primary education level.
Some of the material and information is at the college or university level, and as you progress in finding neutron sources, you'll run into concepts and experimental tests that are actual research.