Using an electronically steered radio telescope, ASTRON has demonstrated the ability to multi-task astronomical observations by pointing one telescope in two completely different directions simultaneously. This demonstration is an important step forward for the SKA (Square Kilometre Array) project and ushers in the era of large, software-driven radio telescopes at centimetre wavelengths. The new multi-tasking capability radically changes the way astronomers currently work and its potential to realise ground-breaking astronomical discoveries is enormous. Read more
Astronomers at ASTRON have, by simultaneously detecting the radio signals of two widely separated pulsars, demonstrated the feasibility of a new receiver technology that will have a great impact on radio astronomy. This achievement is part of the development of a new wide-field radio camera, Apertif, for the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT). The new result signals the coming of a new era in radio astronomy. The demonstration of simultaneous Apertif pulsar observations is very exciting for researcher Dr. Joeri van Leeuwen:
"The possibility of simultaneous observations of more than one pulsar opens up completely new ways for pulsar research. Pulsars are among the most extreme and interesting objects in the sky, and the new radio camera will lead to the discovery of many hundreds of new pulsars."
ASTRON's new LOFAR telescope shows first fringes A team of astronomers and engineers at ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, has successfully detected correlated interferometric radio signals, so-called "fringes", from the sky with the first three, recently completed, full-scale LOFAR stations. The Low Band Antenna (LBA) stations were pointed at Cygnus A, a very powerful radio galaxy associated with an ultra massive black hole. The signals from this galaxy travelled for 600 million years to get here - once the signals were received at the LOFAR stations, they started a new and much shorter journey via the fibre network that is connected to the IBM Blue-Gene supercomputer in Groningen. From there, the correlated data were sent to Dwingeloo for final processing.
ASTRON performs first successful astronomical observations with a Focal Plane Array ASTRON has performed the first successful astronomical observations with a so-called Focal Plane Array (FPA), installed on one of the fourteen dishes of the Westerbork telescope. Focal Plane Arrays are clusters of connected receivers and are the essence of the future APERTIF system ("APERture Tile In Focus"). This transformational FPA technology has been pioneered and brought to maturity by ASTRON, enabling a huge leap forwards for astronomy and the development of radio-sensor systems. The FPA system allows for a single telescope to observe in multiple directions at the same time, forming a continuous extended field of view which has not been possible before. Now, for the first time anywhere in the world, meaningful astronomical images have been made with this type of receiver at such a high frequency.
The main goal of ASTRON is to enable discovery in astronomy by operating and developing state-of-the-art astronomical telescopes and instrumentation. Engineers and astronomers at ASTRON have an excellent international reputation for innovative technology development, and fundamental research in galactic and extra-galactic astronomy.