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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

Astronomers pinpoint the source of the brightest one-off fast radio burst ever

An international team of astronomers has localized one of the brightest non-repeating fast radio bursts (FRBs) ever observed to a nearby galaxy.

Astronomy
News
Science
WSRT-APERTIF
Published by the editorial team, 21 August 2025

Astronomers uncover white dwarf system emitting bright radio pulses with strange rhythm

Researchers identify a mystifying Long-Period Transient with 100% polarized radio emission, suggesting new type of cosmic radio source. A team of astronomers at ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, has discovered a mysterious new cosmic radio source that challenges current theories about how dead stars can produce such powerful emissions. Using the LOFAR (Low Frequency Array) radio telescope, the team picked up the unusual signal as part of a study led by astronomer Sanne Bloot. This research was published today in the scientific journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

Astronomy
LOFAR
Published by the editorial team, 17 July 2025

Exoplanet Sparks Stellar Fireworks

Astronomers have witnessed a planet causing storms to erupt on its parent star, a discovery that could reshape our understanding of how planets and stars interact and evolve together. These findings are published today in the scientific journal Nature.

Astronomy
Published by the editorial team, 2 July 2025

New ‘mini halo’ discovery deepens our understanding of how the early Universe was formed

Astronomers have uncovered a vast cloud of energetic particles – a ‘mini halo’ – surrounding one of the most distant galaxy clusters ever observed, using the LOFAR radio telescope, marking a major step forward in understanding the hidden forces that shape the cosmos.

LOFAR
News
Published by the editorial team, 27 June 2025
IN MEMORIAM
DAILY IMAGE

Colloquium: Fifteen thousand SiO masers in the Milky Way

© Megan Lewis

During the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase, evolved stars are shrouded in the gas and dust associated with their own mass loss. The circumstellar envelopes that form via this process are molecularly rich environments, many of which host SiO masers. As SiO maser pumping mechanisms are not fully understood, there are many challenges in relating maser activity to physical (circum-)stellar properties.

I will share results from the largest SiO maser survey, BAaDE, which detected over 15000 SiO masers in the Milky Way plane. The BAaDE database contributes to statistical studies of maser properties, AGB properties, and even Galactic dynamics. Beyond these statistical studies, we also have a huge sample from which to draw exceptional maser sources.

ASTRON daily image.
EVENTS

Open Dag 5 oktober 2025 in Exloo

Sun 05 Oct 2025

Ontdek, experimenteer en verwonder tijdens de open dag van ASTRON in Exloo! Nieuwsgierige, jonge (en oudere) avonturiers gezocht! Ontdek en experimenteer erop los bij ASTRON, het Nederlands Instituut voor Radioastronomie, op het plein bij het Hallenhoes en op de Superterp LOFAR. Ontdek de escape room in het Hallenhoes, doe experimenten met echte wetenschappers en ingenieurs, […]

@astron

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