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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

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

ASTRON has been assessed by the Strategy Evaluation Protocol (SEP) committee as a research institute that produces excellent research both on astronomy and in technology and innovations.

News
Published by the editorial team, 22 August 2024

Women Astronomers Day 2024

Today, August 1st, marks Women Astronomers Day. Throughout history women astronomers have played a vital role in the development of astronomy and have made important astronomical discoveries.

Astronomy
News
Published by the editorial team, 1 August 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

New calibration technique circumvents Earth’s ionosphere

ASTRON has turned 75!

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DAILY IMAGE

HTSM Students built a LoRaWAN based Magnetometer

© Not permitted to publish on Social Media platforms lile X, Facebook, Instagram, etc.

It has become customary for the Smart Frontend Group to have a group of Master's students from the RuG here in the summer.

These students usually come from faculties that have nothing to do with astronomy or electrical engineering.

This year's group was given the assignment to build a 3-axis magnetometer to measure fluctuations in the Earth's magnetic field in order to predict the occurrence of auroras.

The data could complement LOFAR's solar observations when placed near LOFAR fields.

Therefore, the measurement data should be transmitted via low-power LoRaWAN technology (868 MHz) and a station should operate autonomously in the field.

The result of the work with the proud makers, Daniel, Dimitris, Kantert and Zoro (not shown here) can be seen in the picture below.

The tube with three fluxgate magnetometers is inserted about one meter deep into the ground.

Inside the box is an Arduino with LoRaWAN capabilities, a LiPo battery and a charging circuit to charge the battery via the small solar panel on the top.

The data is sent to a LoRaWAN gateway (which can be up to 10 km away) and then via intranet to a server with an IoT stack stores it in an Influxdb database and visualises the sensor data in Grafana.

ASTRON daily image.
EVENTS

Open Dag: 6 oktober/Open Day: October 6th

Sun 06 Oct 2024

English follows Dutch   Bezoek ons tijdens onze open dag op 6 oktober Hoe klinkt een dode ster? Hoe maak je onzichtbaar licht zichtbaar? Hoe werkt een zwart gat? Waarom kun je met een radiotelescoop terug in de tijd kijken? Achter al deze en nog veel meer interessante dingen kom je tijdens onze open dag […]

@astron

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