telescopes news
What we look forward to in LOFAR 2.0: Habitability of alien worlds
The Earth receives its life-sustaining energy from Sunlight, but “explosions” on the Sun can also be life-threatening. Explosions on the Sun’s surface, called flares, can spew out large masses of plasma and harmful radiation towards the planets.
What we look forward to in LOFAR 2.0: Cranking up LOFAR’s robustness
In order to receive radio signals from across the Universe, LOFAR needs to be very sensitive. The downside of that sensitivity is susceptibility to radio interference: other sources that produce radio signals that LOFAR detects, but does not want to measure.
What we look forward to in LOFAR 2.0: LOFAR expands to Italy
In 2018, Italy officially joined the International LOFAR Telescope (ILT) and in the near future the LOFAR station in Italy will become operational.
Nearest fast radio burst source is regularly active
An international team of astronomers, including a number of Dutch researchers, has discovered that a repeating fast radio burst (FRB) source becomes active about every sixteen days.
What we look forward to in LOFAR 2.0: A new specification and scheduling system
In 2021, ASTRON will deliver TMSS (Telescope Manager Specification System), which is a brand-new platform for the specification, administration, and scheduling of LOFAR observations.
What we look forward to in LOFAR 2.0: High-precision clock to all Dutch stations
In the LOFAR radio telescope, the observation data is synchronized over time for accurate processing of the received signals. Until now, the telescope uses GPS techniques to synchronize the observation data, achieving an accuracy between 1 ns and 10 ns.
What we look forward to in LOFAR 2.0: Detecting SMBH particles
Supermassive black holes can leave a trail of energetic particles that astronomers are able to detect using radio telescopes.
What we look forward to in LOFAR 2.0: A brain transplant for LOFAR
If the antennae of LOFAR are the senses of the radio telescope, then the central correlator is its brain. It is the place where all the data streams come together and are converted into astronomy data.
What we look forward to in LOFAR 2.0: Simultaneous LBA and HBA observing
LOFAR uses two types of antennas. Each type listens to different wavelengths of the radio spectrum. Different wavelengths provide complementary information about the Universe and its constituents.
What we look forward to in LOFAR 2.0: Searching for extreme pulsars
During the 10 years since the LOFAR opening, the telescope has proven itself as an excellent instrument for the study of radio pulsars, rotating neutron stars whose radio beams act as lighthouses.
10 years of LOFAR highlights: The use of GPS receivers and rubidium modules to sync the stations
One of the important aspects of radio telescopes, in general, is the synchronisation in between antennas and for LOFAR in particular the synchronization between stations
Happy birthday to LOFAR!
Today LOFAR celebrates its tenth anniversary.