ASTRON
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
ASTRON is the Netherlands Foundation for Research in Astronomy. ASTRON is an abbreviation of the Dutch Stichting ASTRonomisch Onderzoek in Nederland. This translates to NFRA in English, which is sometimes used to refer to ASTRON in English texts. Its main offices are in Dwingeloo at the site of the Dwingeloo Radio Observatory, m. Westerveld, in the northeastern Netherlands. ASTRON operates under the umbrella of the Dutch national research council, NWO (Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek).
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[edit] Goals
ASTRONs goal is to enable discovery in astronomy. To this end ASTRON provides front-line observing capabilities for Dutch and international astronomers across a broad range of frequencies and techniques. This strategy is expected to regularly result in astronomical discoveries that significantly affect our understanding of the content, the structure and the evolution of the Universe.
ASTRONs program has two principal elements:
- The operation of front line observing facilities, including especially the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope.
- A strong technology development program, encompassing both innovative instrumentation for existing telescopes and the new technologies needed for future facilities.
In addition, ASTRON is active in the international science policy arena.
Recently, ASTRON, together with German firm EADS Astrium Space Transportation, has started promoting a new Moon project called LIFE.
[edit] Observing facilities
[edit] Radiotelescopes
ASTRON operates the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT) , one of the largest radio telescopes in the world. The WSRT and LOFAR - in the near future- are dedicated to explore the universe at radio frequencies, from 8 GHz down to 10 Mhz frequencies.
In addition to its use as a stand-alone radio telescope, the Westerbork array participates in the European Very Long Baseline Interferometry Network (EVN) of radio telescopes.
ASTRON is the host institute for the Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE). Its primary task is to operate the EVN MkIV VLBI Data Processor (correlator). JIVE also provides a high-level of support to astronomers and the Telescope Network.
ASTRON is also the host for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project and parts of the LOPES Project.
At the Auger observatory in Chile, ASTRON is aiding in the construction of a detector network to observe the radiation from cosmic particles.
[edit] Optical telescopes
In collaboration with the United Kingdom and Spain, ASTRON runs the optical telescopes of the Isaac Newton Group on La Palma: the 4.2-m diameter William Herschel Telescope (WHT), the 2.5-m Isaac Newton Telescope (INT), and until its closure in 2003, the Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope.
In collaboration with the United Kingdom and Canada, ASTRON also runs the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) in Hawaii. This is the largest astronomical telescope (15m) in the world designed specifically to operate in the submillimeter wavelength region of the spectrum.
ASTRON has contributed to the construction of different instruments for the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Very Large Telescopes, four 8-m telescopes located in the Atacama desert in Chile.
[edit] Technology development
Discovery in astronomy goes hand in hand with innovation in technology. ASTRON pursues an aggressive program of technical development, aimed both at providing innovative instrumentation for use on current observing facilities, and at laying the groundwork for future generations of telescopes and signal processing instrumentation.
To these ends, the ASTRON facility in Dwingeloo maintains a well equipped R&D division specializing in the design, prototyping and qualification of:
- Low noise, ambient and cryogenic radio receiver systems (0.2 - 345 GHz)
- Very high speed digital electronics
- Antennas, especially in the array environment
- Advanced instrumentation for use at optical and infrared wavelengths
- Algorithm and software engineering for instrument control and for imaging
