Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory is a research facility located at () south-west of Penticton, British Columbia, Canada. The site houses three instruments – an interferometric radio telescope, a 26-m single-dish antenna, and a solar flux monitor – and supports engineering laboratories. The DRAO is operated by the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics of the National Research Council of the Canadian government.
Contents |
[edit] Facilities
[edit] Synthesis telescope
The interferometric array consists of seven nine-meter, metal-mesh dish antennas along a 600-m east-west line. The antennas are equipped with single-circular polarisation receivers at 408 MHz and dual circular receivers at 1420 MHz, from which all four Stokes parameters may be formed. A spectrometer may also be employed at 1420 MHz for study of the 21-cm hydrogen line.
[edit] 26-meter telescope
The single metal-mesh antenna can be equipped to observe at 408 MHz and at 1.5, 2.7, 4.9, 6.6, and 8.4 GHz, including the hydrogen line near 1.4 GHz, the OH lines around 1.6 GHz, and the methanol line near 6.6 GHz.
[edit] Solar-flux monitor
The monitor consists of two solid-surface dish antennas simultaneously observing at 10.7-cm wavelength.
[edit] Engineering
In addition to observing facilities, the DRAO operates design and manufacturing laboratories for receivers and electronics. Projects include equipment for external observatories, such as the VLA and the JCMT.
