{"id":1845141,"date":"2025-11-16T10:21:25","date_gmt":"2025-11-16T15:21:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/?p=1845141"},"modified":"2025-11-16T10:21:26","modified_gmt":"2025-11-16T15:21:26","slug":"how-imaging-quasars-improved-gps-accuracy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2025\/11\/how-imaging-quasars-improved-gps-accuracy\/","title":{"rendered":"How Imaging Quasars Improved GPS Accuracy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What do distant quasars have to do with improving GPS accuracy? A 2019 article<\/a> from the NASA Technology Transfer Program explains: \u201cIn the 1960s, NASA used a network of radio telescopes and a technique called very large baseline interferometry (VLBI) to capture images of quasars in distant galaxies. In the following decade, scientists reversed the process to determine the precise locations of the telescopes, painting a picture of Earth\u2019s shape and orientation in space. Today, an evolution of that technology supports another location-based system that has arguably become the world\u2019s most important communication infrastructure: the Global Positioning System (GPS).\u201d [Ariel Waldman<\/a>]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What do distant quasars have to do with improving GPS accuracy? A 2019 article from the NASA Technology Transfer Program explains: \u201cIn the 1960s, NASA used a network of radio telescopes and a technique called… More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"link","meta":{"autoblue_enabled":true,"autoblue_custom_message":"","autoblue_shares":[{"did":"did:plc:hhxrnk4vub7jtlcl3ve26kjo","date":"2025-11-16T15:21:30+00:00","uri":"at:\/\/did:plc:hhxrnk4vub7jtlcl3ve26kjo\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3m5qz6jnl3m2a","response":"{\"uri\":\"at:\/\/did:plc:hhxrnk4vub7jtlcl3ve26kjo\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3m5qz6jnl3m2a\",\"cid\":\"bafyreigx5io7ot2o5xkgpevrjmmlnblvcrn4miwnyfv6xanbu3zk5puarq\",\"commit\":{\"cid\":\"bafyreidwqnw6tkoq6cbzjrgwpb2dbyhss2t5fuunjw6jxns5znahfy7i3m\",\"rev\":\"3m5qz6jnsvm2a\"},\"validationStatus\":\"valid\"}"}],"autoblue_post_url":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,254],"tags":[1758,1757,12,1759],"class_list":["post-1845141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-link","hentry","category-astronomy","category-gps","tag-deep-space","tag-interferometry","tag-nasa","tag-quasars","post_format-post-format-link"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5034,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2017\/09\/mapping-the-damage-in-puerto-rico\/","url_meta":{"origin":1845141,"position":0},"title":"Mapping the Damage in Puerto Rico","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"29 September 2017","format":"link","excerpt":"At NASA's Earth Observatory, before and after images of Puerto Rico's nighttime lights illustrate the extent of power outages and infrastructure damage on the island. NASA has also produced a map of likely damaged areas of eastern Puerto Rico, based on before and after radar satellite interferometry and similar to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Weather and Climate"","block_context":{"text":"Weather and Climate","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/weather-and-climate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/nasa-puerto-rico-1024x576.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/nasa-puerto-rico-1024x576.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/nasa-puerto-rico-1024x576.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/nasa-puerto-rico-1024x576.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1810022,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2022\/11\/supergps-promises-ten-centimetre-accuracy\/","url_meta":{"origin":1845141,"position":1},"title":"SuperGPS Promises Ten-Centimetre Accuracy","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"24 November 2022","format":"link","excerpt":"It seems to be steam engine time for GPS alternatives. We\u2019ve already seen two proposals that suggest using constellations of low-flying satellites to provide greater accuracy and more resilience against signal blocking than GPS and other orbital navigation systems can provide. Now a research team in the Netherlands is developing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "GPS"","block_context":{"text":"GPS","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/gps\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1788572,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2020\/03\/can-gps-be-used-on-the-moon\/","url_meta":{"origin":1845141,"position":2},"title":"Can GPS Be Used on the Moon?","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"30 March 2020","format":"link","excerpt":"More on the question of whether GPS can be used for navigation on the lunar surface\u2014that is to say the existing constellations of Earth-orbiting GNSS satellites, not a new constellation of satellites around the moon. A new study suggests that the answer is yes: GPS and other navigation systems could\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Astronomy"","block_context":{"text":"Astronomy","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/astronomy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1806985,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2022\/04\/spacecraft-will-test-satnav-reception-from-lunar-orbit\/","url_meta":{"origin":1845141,"position":3},"title":"Spacecraft Will Test Satnav Reception from Lunar Orbit","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"21 April 2022","format":"link","excerpt":"More on the astonishing idea that Earth-orbiting GNSS satellites can be used for navigation at the Moon. The European Space Agency reports that among the instruments carried by the upcoming Lunar Pathfinder commercial mission will be a 1.4 kg satnav receiver that will test its ability to receive GPS and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Astronomy"","block_context":{"text":"Astronomy","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/astronomy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1809677,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2022\/11\/esa-considering-low-orbit-satellites-to-improve-galileo-system\/","url_meta":{"origin":1845141,"position":4},"title":"ESA Considering Low-Orbit Satellites to Improve Galileo System","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"3 November 2022","format":"link","excerpt":"The idea of using low-earth-orbit satellites to provide greater GPS\/GNSS accuracy isn\u2019t limited to commandeering the Starlink constellation. The European Space Agency is exploring the idea of using low-flying satellites to increase Galileo\u2019s accuracy and robustness: make it possible to use indoors, make it more resistant to jamming and interference,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "GPS"","block_context":{"text":"GPS","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/gps\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1787453,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2019\/06\/many-moon-maps\/","url_meta":{"origin":1845141,"position":5},"title":"Many Moon Maps","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"21 June 2019","format":"link","excerpt":"With the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 almost upon us, there's been an uptick in moon-related content, which includes moon-related map content. For example: New Exhibition. Opening today at The Map House in London, The Mapping of the Moon: 1669-1969, an exhibition of three centuries of lunar cartography. \"The exhibition\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Antique Maps"","block_context":{"text":"Antique Maps","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/antique-maps\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/national-geographic-moon.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/national-geographic-moon.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/national-geographic-moon.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/national-geographic-moon.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1845141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1845141"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1845141\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1845143,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1845141\/revisions\/1845143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1845141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1845141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1845141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}