Metsähovi Radio Observatory turns 50 and gets new telescopes
Students helped design and build the new telescopes, which expands the opportunities for multidisciplinary space research and education
This year, Aalto University’s Metsähovi Radio Observatory will celebrate its 50th anniversary. To celebrate five decades, we are organising many special events this year.
Students helped design and build the new telescopes, which expands the opportunities for multidisciplinary space research and education
Aalto Junior and Metsähovi Astronomical Radio Observatory welcome schools to explore the radio-astronomical research of the Radio Observatory in May 2024.
Aalto University's Metsähovi radio observatory turns 50 this year. To mark the anniversary, an open lecture series "Tähtitiistait" will be held in the new Marsio building in autumn 2024. Welcome!
Forskningsaktiviteterna vid Skoggård är koncentrerade vid radioobservationer som görs på millimetervågor och mikrovågor (2-150 GHz). Kärnområden är solmillimeter och mikrovågsstrålning, variabla kvasar, aktiva galaxer och ytterst lång baslinje interferometri (VLBI).
Forskningen i teknologin innehåller utveckling av dataerhållandet, databehandling samt utveckling av mottagar och mottagningsmetoder. Skoggård är värd för forskare och studeranden speciellt Institutionen för elektronik och nanoteknik och Finnish Centre for Astronomy with ESO.
The backbone of Metsähovi's observations are the long-term lightcurves of radio-bright active galaxies at high radio frequencies. Our 37 GHz light curves span four decades for many sources.
The Sun is the nearest star and thus a premium target for observations to understand how stars work.
Det finns flera instrument vid Skoggård som är lämpliga vid forskningen om universum med radiofrekvens. Dessutom är instrumenten lämpliga för användning och utveckling av radioteleskop samt dess mottagare. Skoggård innehar även extremt noggrana atomiska klockor och specialiserade datorer för interferometriska observationer. Lär dig mer om instrumenten vid Skoggård på engelska nedan.
Metsähovi operates multiple instruments for studying the universe in radio frequencies. In addition to operating and developing radio telescopes and their receivers, Metsähovi also runs extremely accurate atomic clocks and specialized computers for interferometric observations.
Specifications of the antenna
The essential feature of a radio astronomy receiver is the capability to detect very weak radio signals as sensitively as possible. In radio telescopes and antennas, the receiver is the central part, doing the actual data collecting.
The location of a radio observatory needs to be known precisely. The Metsähovi 14-metre radio telescope's coordinates are one of the most accurately known in Finland. In fact, the Finnish coordinates are partly based on measurement done in Metsähovi.
Skoggård radioforskningsinstitut är Finlands enda astronomiska radioforskningsinstitut.