radio telescope

noun

: a radio receiver-antenna combination used for observation in radio astronomy

Examples of radio telescope in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Unfortunately, the solution isn’t as simple as removing Earth’s atmosphere—or, more plausibly, launching a radio telescope into space. Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 Apr. 2026 In 2024, Burns and his team managed to send up their first lunar radio telescope on Intuitive Machines' Odysseus lander, the first private spacecraft to land on the moon, and collect their first moon-radio-astronomy data. Monisha Ravisetti, Space.com, 7 Apr. 2026 Institute searches for extraterrestrial life Research teams at the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute have for years famously used radio telescopes to search for signals in outer space that could originate from intelligent life beyond our world. Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 11 Mar. 2026 Most dark and almost-dark galaxy candidates, Minchin said, have been identified using radio telescopes and searching for hydrogen gas, but those efforts will miss galaxies like CDG-2, where the gas has been removed. Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 3 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for radio telescope

Word History

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of radio telescope was in 1947

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Radio telescope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/radio%20telescope. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

radio telescope

noun
: a radio receiver-antenna combination used for observation in radio astronomy

More from Merriam-Webster on radio telescope

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster