The Metsähovi Radio Observatory is an
astronomical observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...
in Finland, affiliated with the
Aalto University
Aalto University ( fi, Aalto-yliopisto; sv, Aalto-universitetet) is a public research university located in Espoo, Finland. It was established in 2010 as a merger of three major Finnish universities: the Helsinki University of Technology, the He ...
. Its main premises are in Metsähovi,
Kirkkonummi
Kirkkonummi (; sv, Kyrkslätt, , Sweden ) is a Municipalities of Finland, municipality of inhabitants () in southern Finland. The literal meaning of the words "''Kirkkonummi''" and "''Kyrkslätt''" in English language, English is "church heath".
...
, 35 kilometers west of the university's Otaniemi campus.
The observatory currently operates a diameter radio telescope, and has an array of four dishes to serve as a compact interferometer called the 'Metsähovi Compact Array',
as well as several smaller radio telescopes and instruments. The observatory is staffed by some 20 researchers, engineers, and students, mostly from Aalto University and the Finnish Centre for Astronomy with the ESO.
The observatory has been operational since 1974 and active in the fields of:
*Fundamental research in radio astronomy
*Development of instruments needed in radio astronomy
*Development of methods for radio astronomical measurements
*Applied scientific computing
*Space research
*Education
The current research focuses on
variable quasars,
active galaxies
An active galactic nucleus (AGN) is a compact region at the center of a galaxy that has a much-higher-than-normal luminosity over at least some portion of the electromagnetic spectrum with characteristics indicating that the luminosity is not pr ...
,
solar observations, and
very long baseline interferometry
Very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) is a type of astronomical interferometry used in radio astronomy. In VLBI a signal from an astronomical radio source, such as a quasar, is collected at multiple radio telescopes on Earth or in space. The ...
. Metsähovi is as a member of the
European VLBI Network
The European VLBI Network (EVN) is a network of radio telescopes located primarily in Europe and Asia, with additional antennas in South Africa and Puerto Rico, which performs very high angular resolution observations of cosmic radio sources usin ...
.
The observatory observed the near-total
Solar eclipse of March 20, 2015
A total solar eclipse occurred on March 20, 2015. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's ...
at 11.2 and 37 GHz.
See also
*
List of astronomical observatories
This is a list of astronomical observatories ordered by name, along with initial dates of operation (where an accurate date is available) and location. The list also includes a final year of operation for many observatories that are no longer in ...
*
List of radio telescopes
This is a list of radio telescopes – over one hundred – that are or have been used for radio astronomy. The list includes both single dishes and interferometric arrays. The list is sorted by region, then by name; unnamed telescopes are in r ...
References
External links
Metsähovi Radio Observatory
Astronomical observatories in Finland
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