New calibration technique circumvents Earth’s ionosphere
An international team of researchers has developed a new calibration technique to circumvent disturbances of Earth’s ionosphere.
ASTRON has turned 75!
75 years ago today, SRZM (Stichting Radiostraling van Zon en Melkweg/Netherlands Foundation for Radio Astronomy) was founded. This organization would later become ASTRON.
ASTRON launches database of female experts
Today marks International Women’s Day. This year’s theme is ‘Inspire Inclusion’.
LOFAR ERIC: Distributed Research Infrastructure for European Astronomical Research Launched
LOFAR ERIC (European Research Infrastructure Consortium) has been officially launched at its first Council meeting today. The world-leading LOFAR (LOw Frequency ARray) Distributed Research Infrastructure has already revolutionised low-frequency radio astronomy research, resulting in an avalanche of scientific publications in the past decade. LOFAR ERIC is now a single legal entity across the European Union. The LOFAR ERIC statutory seat is in Dwingeloo, the Netherlands, hosted by NWO-I/ASTRON (Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy; the original designer of LOFAR).
A special lens for Jekels Jacht
© NTR/Rik ter horst
In his program 'Jekels Jacht', Diederik Jekel revisits significant experiments from our rich scientific history, recreating them to highlight their importance and impact. In the episode airing on May 15, Jekel focuses on the Nobel Prize-winning Phase Contrast Microscope. This groundbreaking microscope was invented by physicist Frits Zernike in 1933 and constructed by Caroline Bleeker, a highly skilled Dutch instrument maker.
The Phase Contrast Microscope revolutionized the way scientists observe transparent specimens, allowing them to see details without staining or killing the samples. Zernike's invention profoundly impacted biological and medical research, earning him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1953.
In this episode, Diederik Jekel undertakes the challenge of creating a precise replica of Zernike's microscope. Elfi Dijkstra and Rik ter Horst (NOVA) contributed their expertise by crafting a special lens and lens mount, critical components for the accurate reproduction of the original instrument.
Curious to see if the efforts were successful? Watch the entire episode and witness the recreation of this pivotal scientific tool.
The full program can be viewed here:
https://npo.nl/start/serie/jekels-jacht/seizoen-2/jekels-jacht_2/afspelen
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 […]