The Inquisitive giant

Introduces a study of radio astronomy with a brief survey of the development of the optical telescope, from the early instruments of Galileo, Newton and Hershell to the giant modern telescopes of Mt Wilson and Palomar. Shows work in radio astronomy in many lands, focussing on British work. Shows the design and building of the steerable radio telescope at Jodrell Bank. Shots of the nebula of Andromeda, and of the Sun during eclipse, views of the giant but delicate instruments, show the magnitude of subject matter and tools in astronomy.