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The largest radio telescope is the RATAN-600(Russia) with 576m diameter of circular antenna (RATAN-600 description).

The best-known (although non-steerable) radio telescope is the Arecibo radio telescope located in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. Another well-known radio telescope is the Very Large Array (VLA), in Socorro, New Mexico. The largest radio telescope in Europe is the 100 metre diameter antenna in Effelsberg, Germany, which also was the largest fully steerable telecope for 30 years until the Green Bank Telescope was opened in 2000. A typical size of the single antenna of a radio telescope is 25 metre, dozens of radio telescopes with comparable sizes are operated in radio observatories all over the world.

The sub-field of astronomy related to observations made through radio telescopes is known as radio astronomyRadio astronomy is the study of celestial phenomena through measurement of the characteristics of radio waves emitted by physical processes occurring in space. Radio waves are much longer than light waves. In order to receive good signals, radio astronomy.

Many celestial objects, such as pulsarCrab Nebula pulsar, showing surrounding nebular gases stirred by the pulsar's magnetic field and radiation. A pulsar which originally stood for pulsating radio source is a rapidly rotating neutron star, whose electromagnetic radiation is observed in reguls or active galaxiesAn active galaxy is a galaxy where a significant fraction of the energy output is not emitted by the normal components of a galaxy: stars, dust and interstellar gas. This energy, depending on the active galaxy type, can be emitted across most of the elect (like quasarA quasar (from quasi-stellar radio source is an astronomical object that looks like a star in optical telescopes (i. it is a point source), and has a very high redshift. The general consensus is that this high redshift is cosmological, the result of Hubbls), produce radio-frequency radiation and so are best "visible" or even only visible in the radio region of electromagnetic spectrumLegend γ Gamma rays HX Hard X-rays SX Soft X-Rays EUV Extreme ultraviolet NUV Near ultraviolet Visible light NIR Near infrared MIR Moderate infrared FIR Far infrared Radio waves EHF Extremely high frequency (Microwaves) SHF Super high frequency (Mic. By examining the frequency, power and timing of radio emissions from these objects, astronomers can improve our understanding of the UniverseAlternate uses: See Universe (disambiguation In the first half of the 20th century, the word universe was used to mean the whole spacetime continuum in which we exist, together with all the energy and matter within it. Attempts to understand the universe

Radio telescopes are also occasionally involved in SETIArecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. SETI ( pronounced [sEti], to rhyme with "Betty") stands for Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence . Interstellar travel is a common theme in science fiction stories, but so far, in practice, the obstacles to such jo and tracking space probes (see Deep Space Network).