Skip to main content

Telescopes

ASTRON is responsible for the operations of the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT) and the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR).

Astronomy

The astronomical research at ASTRON is closely aligned with the strengths of our facilities LOFAR and WSRT-APERTIF.

Diversity & Sustainability

ASTRON is committed to achieving a fair, welcoming, and sustainable work environment for all.

Beschermingszones


Met onze radiotelescopen nemen wij de meest zwakke signalen uit het heelal waar. Daardoor zijn zij kwetsbaar voor elektromagnetische storing. Met het tijdig treffen van de juiste maatregelen kan storing worden voorkomen.

Wireless Data Lab


Draadloze techniek lijkt vanzelfsprekend, maar de ontwikkeling ervan gaat niet vanzelf. Daarom hebben we bij ASTRON een proeftuin ingericht; het Wireless Data Lab.

Making discoveries
in radio astronomy
happen.

ASTRON is the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, and is part of the Institutes organisation of NWO.
STORIES

LOFAR1 operations stopped, telescope gearing up for 2.0 upgrade

August 31st was the last day on which we received data from LOFAR1. With the shutdown of LOFAR1 operations, over a decade of gathering and handling huge amounts of data came to an end. LOFAR1 operations have led to the publication of more than 750 scientific papers so far, and this number is still growing by about two papers per week. The end of LOFAR1 production operations does of course not mean the end of LOFAR (which became LOFAR ERIC last year): right now we are working hard on upgrading the LOFAR telescope to version 2.0, both in software and hardware.

LOFAR
News
Published by the editorial team, 25 September 2024

Gargantuan Black Hole Jets Are Biggest Seen Yet

Astronomers have spotted the biggest pair of black hole jets ever seen, spanning 23 million light-years in total length. That’s equivalent to lining up 140 Milky Way galaxies back to back.

Astronomy
LOFAR
News
telescopes
Published by the editorial team, 19 September 2024

Second-Generation Starlink Satellites Leak 30 Times More Radio Interference, Threatening Astronomical Observations

Observations with the LOFAR (Low Frequency Array) radio telescope last year showed that first generation Starlink satellites emit unintended radio waves that can hinder astronomical observations. New observations with the LOFAR radio telescope, the biggest radio telescope on Earth observing at low frequencies, have shown that the second generation ’V2-mini’ Starlink satellites emit up to 32 times brighter unintended radio waves than satellites from the previous generation, potentially blinding radio telescopes and crippling vital research of the Universe.

Astronomy
LOFAR
News
Published by the editorial team, 18 September 2024

European grant allows ASTRON astronomer Joe Callingham to study the space weather of other worlds

Dr Joe Callingham has received an ERC Starting Grant worth 1.5 million euros.

LOFAR
News
Science
SKA
Published by the editorial team, 5 September 2024

Top marks for ASTRON

Women Astronomers Day 2024

International Women in Engineering Day

Origin of fast radio bursts come into focus through polarized light

Violette Impellizzeri to head astronomy and operations department

1 2 3 79
DAILY IMAGE

ASKAP Surveys of the Magnetised Universe

© “Marion Dingo, POSSUM, 2023, acrylic on canvas”

The Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) is designed to dramatically increase our ability to rapidly survey the radio sky via a broad portfolio of science programs. ASKAP’s unique survey capabilities will be used to transform our understanding of astrophysical magnetic fields through two major projects. First, SPICE-RACS, the linear polarization counterpart to the Rapid ASKAP Continuum Survey (RACS), will provide a major step forward in our view of the magnetised sky particularly from the Southern hemisphere, with a major data release nearing completion. On a somewhat longer timeframe we will subsequently deliver an even clearer view with POSSUM, the Polarisation Sky Survey of the Universe’s Magnetism. Commensal with both the EMU radio continuum survey and the WALLABY HI survey, POSSUM is utilising sensitive spectopolarimetric data to generate a dense and precise grid of up to about a million background Faraday rotation measures that probe gas and magnetic fields in foreground objects. POSSUM aims to revolutionise our understanding of magnetic fields and their role in fundamental physical processes across a wide range of scales: in the interstellar medium; the large-scale Milky Way and halo; external galaxies dominated by star formation, active galactic nuclei or merger activity; galaxy clusters; the cosmic web; and the intergalactic medium. At a deeper level, POSSUM seeks to reveal how the first magnetic fields were generated, and to understand the processes that organised and strengthened those fields to the present day. In this talk I will briefly remark on overall ASKAP status, summarise the science aims of the POSSUM project, and then highlight results from both SPICE-RACS and POSSUM. I’ll conclude by discussing prospects for magnetism science with the SKA.

CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, commissioned a series of works by Wajarri Yamaji artists to celebrate ASKAP's Survey Science Projects. POSSUM by Wajarri artist Marion Dingo, is one in this series.

ASTRON daily image.
EVENTS

Toegepaste RF-techniek

Mon 04 Nov 2024 - Thu 07 Nov 2024

De cursus Toegepaste RF-techniek bestaat uit een theoriegedeelte (75%) en hands-on sessies in ons eigen lab (25%).
Deelnemers aan deze cursus dienen een hbo werk- en denkniveau te hebben. De deelnemer kent de basisbegrippen van elektronica. Parate kennis van wiskundige concepten is niet vereist, maar komt wel aan de orde bij de transmissielijntheorie. In de cursus wordt ook complexe rekenwijze toegepast.

@astron

Subscribe to our newsletter. For previous editions, click here.

searchclosechevron-downlinkedin-squarebarsyoutube-playinstagramfacebook-officialcross