Very low frequency radio astronomy

Very low frequency (VLF) radio astronomy covers the frequency range below about 30 MHz (or the wavelength range above 10 m). This is the last window of the electromagnetic spectrum never to have been observed with spatial resolution. This is a range over which the Earth's ionosphere transmits either poorly or not at all. In this paper, we describe some means to observe this frequency range and we review what can be expected from exploring the astrophysics of the universe at very low radio frequencies. We present the scientific case for a large array to be set up on the far side of the Moon. This would open an entirely new field of remote probing of astrophysical plasmas in the Universe. Copyright (C) 1996 COSPAR