Initially developed in 2020 under the RadioNet project (EC GA 730562), the BRAND (BRoad bAND) receiver has been successfully tested and partially commissioned at the Effelsberg 100-meter radio telescope, marking a significant advancement in radio astronomy. Designed by Gino Tuccari (INAF) with contributions from MPIfR, OSO, ASTRON, Yebes Observatory, and Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre, [...]
An international team of researchers has detected a binary star orbiting close to Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy. It is the first time a stellar pair has been found in the vicinity of a supermassive black hole. The discovery, based on data collected by the European Southern Observatory’s [...]
“For the first time, we have succeeded in taking a zoomed-in image of a dying star in a galaxy outside our own Milky Way,” says Keiichi Ohnaka, an astrophysicist from Universidad Andrés Bello in Chile. Located a staggering 160 000 light-years from us, the star WOH G64 was imaged thanks to the impressive sharpness offered [...]
The RadioNet Newsletter 10/2024 has just been issued - read it here.
The EU-funded project ACME (Astrophysics Centre for Multimessenger Studies in Europe) officially launched on 1 September 2024. ACME aims to achieve a coordinated, Europe-wide optimization of accessibility and cohesion among leading astroparticle and astronomy research infrastructures. It offers access to cutting-edge instruments, data, and expertise, with a focus on advancing multi-messenger astrophysics. The project brings [...]
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 [...]
RadioNet newsletter 08/2024 issued. Read here.
In a new paper led by Daizhong Liu (Max-Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics), observations from ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA) were combined to study the motion of gas within PJ0116-24. ALMA traces cold gas, seen here in blue, whereas the VLT, with its new Enhanced Resolution Imager and [...]
The LOFAR ERIC Council has appointed Dr. Michiel van Haarlem as the new LOFAR ERIC Executive Director. Dr. van Haarlem will play a crucial role in representing LOFAR ERIC to stakeholders, ensuring the efficient operation of the LOFAR facilities, and advancing the consortium's mission to coordinate the use of this vital radio astronomy instrument for [...]
The RadioNet newsletter 06/2024 has been issued. Read here.