Observing Galactic Neutral Hydrogen Using Radioastronomy

Backyard radio telescopes are a simple way in which amateur astronomers and hobbyists can observe and survey the galaxy. A portable radio telescope, designed by the Digital Signal Processing in Radio Astronomy (DSPIRA) group at WVU and constructed by a former student, was used to observe the emission spectra of neutral atomic hydrogen at the 1420 MHz emission line. The observed spectra were used to find values for column density that were then compared to published values to ensure the telescope was operating satisfactorily. Anomalies in certain spectra were observed and theorized to stem from the calibration of the telescope. Problems with the calibration routine were circumvented with an alternative calibration procedure that calibrates the data itself rather than the instrument of collection. Methods of expanding the integration time of spectra during data analysis were also developed to reduce noise in the collected spectra without sacrificing the use of shorter integration times during data collection.