Skip to main content
radio source

radio source

1 6.7
An object in space that sends out radio waves we can detect
  • noun
  • /ˈreɪdioʊ sɔrs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : fuente de radio
  • Cygnus A was soon recognized as the brightest discrete radio source in the sky.
  • extragalactic radio source
  • bright radio sources
  • compact radio source

So actually locating the radio sources and matching them with with galaxies or stars was pretty impossible.

Examples

  • The spiral-like features described above, as well as the compact radio source, are situated in this "hole."

    Academic text (1992)
  • The discovery of the first discrete radio source beyond the Sun was an accident.

    Academic text (1991)
  • The catalog of radio sources built up very slowly.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Distance from Earth alone will reduce interference from terrestrial radio sources by the square of the distance.

    Academic text (2000)
  • To be more accurate, it's aimed at Sagittarius A*, a very compact radio source that is thought to be a black hole.

    Blog text (20)
  • So actually locating the radio sources and matching them with with galaxies or stars was pretty impossible.

  • The working description for those objects was "quasistellar radio source," which quickly became "quasar" for short.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Many extragalactic radio sources, such as active galactic nuclei, have steep radio spectra.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Cygnus A was soon recognized as the brightest radio source in the sky.

  • Detection of an unidentified radio source from space can neither be confirmed nor denied.

How Bright

radio brightness
  • Specialized
7.3
radio emission
  • Specialized
1 5.2
radio source
  • Specialized
1 6.7

Surface Forms

radio source singular
radio sources plural

Morphology

radio + source

The compound 'radio source' straightforwardly combines 'radio' (relating to radio waves or radio devices) and 'source' (origin), so the meaning 'an emitter of radio waves' is directly derivable from the constituents. Although the term is often used in technical contexts, the noun-noun compositional pattern is regular and cross-linguistically common, making it immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows both words.

Etymology

Radio source comes from simple words: radio means radio waves and source means the place something comes from. So a radio source is something, often in space, that 'sends out' radio waves which radio telescopes can detect.