Radio Signal Reflection & Refraction on a Simple Ionosphere Model
A simple animated plotting of radio wave refraction and reflection on a simplified ionosphere model, landscape format.
In the days prior to satellites, long-range radio communication could sometimes be accomplished by reflecting radio signals off Earth's ionosphere, The ionosphere is a layer of plasma at altitudes ranging from 50 to 950 kilometers, formed from the ionization of atoms and molecules in the upper atmosphere by ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. This radio wave reflection process was part of the method of how the ionosphere was discovered in the early 1900s.
Here we present some simple radio signal refraction and reflection off a high-altitude layer of plasma. These trajectories are computed based on a very basic ray propagation through a plasma. Many more complex processes are ignored.
A simple animated plotting of radio wave reflection on a simplified ionosphere model; all waves reflected, no altitude scale, landscape format.
A simple animated plotting of radio wave refraction and reflection on a simplified ionosphere model, portrait format.
A simple animated plotting of radio wave reflection on a simplified ionosphere model; all waves reflected, no altitude scale, portrait format.
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio
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Visualizer
- Tom Bridgman (Global Science and Technology, Inc.)
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Technical support
- Laurence Schuler (ADNET Systems, Inc.)
- Ian Jones (ADNET Systems, Inc.)
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Producer
- Miles S. Hatfield (Telophase)
Release date
This page was originally published on Monday, April 22, 2024.
This page was last updated on Monday, April 15, 2024 at 9:13 AM EDT.