The Mount Pleasant Radio Observatory is a
radio astronomy
Radio astronomy is a subfield of astronomy that studies celestial objects at radio frequencies. The first detection of radio waves from an astronomical object was in 1933, when Karl Jansky at Bell Telephone Laboratories reported radiation comin ...
based
observatory owned and operated by
University of Tasmania
The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College, one of the university's residential colleges, first prop ...
, located 20 km east of
Hobart in
Cambridge, Tasmania.
It is home to three radio astronomy antennas and the Grote Reber Museum.
Equipment
The observatory has two active radio telescopes: the Mount Pleasant 26 m antenna and a 12 m AuScope VLBI Antenna. The Observatory is linked to the
University of Tasmania
The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College, one of the university's residential colleges, first prop ...
's
Hobart campus with a 25 km
fibre optic cable, installed in 2007.
The 14 m Vela telescope that was constructed in 1981 as a dedicated instrument for observation of the
Vela Pulsar
The Vela Pulsar (PSR J0835-4510 or PSR B0833-45) is a radio, optical, X-ray- and gamma-emitting pulsar associated with the Vela Supernova Remnant in the constellation of Vela. Its parent Type II supernova exploded approximately 11,0 ...
has been decommissioned since 2006 and is in the process of being refurbished. The telescope used to track the pulsar 18 hours a day, nearly continuously for over 20 years.
The 26 m Radio dish came from the
Orroral Valley Tracking Station
The Orroral Valley tracking station, was Earth station in Australia, supported Earth-orbiting satellites, as part of NASA's Spacecraft Tracking and Data Acquisition Network (STADAN). It was located approximately 50 km south of Canberra, ...
, ACT, where it was used as a satellite tracker within the
Spacecraft Tracking and Data Acquisition Network and then for support to
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
crewed missions.
The 26 m telescope is used in Australia's
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. T ...
(VLBI) network.
Other Telescopes
The
University of Tasmania
The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College, one of the university's residential colleges, first prop ...
also operates three other radio astronomy antennas: the 30 m Ceduna Radio Observatory (SA) and two additional AuScope 12 m antennas at Katherine (NT) and Yaragadee (WA).
The University also owns and operates the
Bisdee Tier Optical Astronomy Observatory. The
Canopus Hill Observatory is closed.
Grote Reber Museum
There is also a museum on site dedicated to the life and works of
Grote Reber
Grote Reber (December 22, 1911 – December 20, 2002) was an American pioneer of radio astronomy, which combined his interests in amateur radio and amateur astronomy. He was instrumental in investigating and extending Karl Jansky's pioneering wo ...
. It contains some of his ashes and a state of the art
3D theatre. It also discusses the major role
Tasmania
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, subdi ...
plays in
radiophysics Radiophysics (also modern writing "radio physics") is a branch of physics focused on the theoretical and experimental study of certain kinds of radiation, its emission, propagation and interaction with matter.
The term is used in the following majo ...
The museum hosts about 5000 visitors annually and runs several Open Days each year.
University of Tasmania
The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College, one of the university's residential colleges, first prop ...
students also act as tour guides as part of their studies.
See also
*
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
University of Tasmania website on observatoryGrote Reber Museum
{{Portal bar, Australia, Astronomy, Stars, Spaceflight, Outer space, Solar System, Education, Science
Astronomical observatories in Tasmania
University of Tasmania
Museums in Tasmania
Science museums in Australia
Biographical museums in Australia
Radio observatories