DSN Radio Astronomy
Interstellar Microwave Spectroscopy

Last updated by Tom Kuiper on 2007 Jun 12.

We use the microwave antennas of NASA's Deep Space Network to observe radiation emitted at discrete frequencies by atoms and molecules in the gas clouds which exist between the stars.

Our current research areas include

  • the origin of stars, and
  • Southern hemisphere masers
  • the origin of complex organic interstellar molecules.

    • The members of our team at JPL are Tom Kuiper, Steve Levin, Bill Langer, Ruisheng Peng, Thangasamy ("Velu") Velusamy. We are members of the Astrophysics Research Element in the Earth and Space Sciences Division.

    The following Web documents may be of interest to visitors of this page:

  • A simplified explanation of microwave spectroscopy
  • Rotatable images of typical interstellar molecules
  • Al Wootten's Molecular Astrophysics page
  • A list of all currently known interstellar molecules
  • The JPL on-line catalogue of molecular spectral lines
  • A list of observed interstellar molecular microwave transitions
    •
    Go to DSN Radio Astronomy homepage.