Microwaves are able to be transmitted in a tight beam (diffracting less than radio waves) and so are used to transmit television signals to satellites in orbit.
Unlike some radio waves, microwaves are also able to travel through the atmosphere. This means we can transmit signals back to the ground. The satellite dish above has a curved surface. Like a mirror, it focuses the waves onto a detector which then sends the signal to a decoder box connected to a television. [Related Topic: Cosmic Microwave Background]
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