Radio astronomy station opened in Bałdy
Photo: PAP 2015 / Tomasz Waszczuk
The first Polish radio astronomy station, part of the European system LOFAR, was launched on August 21 in Bałdy near Olsztyn. This system is a radio telescope based on a vast array of antennas, designed to help scientists explore the far corners of the universe.
The station in Bałdy is the easternmost part of the international LOFAR system, designed by the Dutch agency ASTRON. LOFAR currently consists of 50 stations, arrays of antennas that receive radio waves. They are located in various countries and connected to high speed internet. Data are collected and processed by a "supercomputer" in the network management centre in Groningen in the Netherlands.
According to the researchers, this system allows for observations at very low frequencies in the range little studied by radio astronomers. It has dozens of times better sensitivity and resolution than the biggest radio telescopes used to date. It will not only allow to study objects of the early universe, but also make it easier to monitor the space environment in the immediate vicinity of the Earth. Antennas will also be used for utility experiments in the field of soil physics, geophysics and satellite navigation.
The station in Bałdy consists of 96 arrays of LBA radio antennas receiving signals in the frequency range of 30-80 MHz, and the same number of HBA antennas conducting observations in the range of 80-240 MHz. Prof. Andrzej Krankowski of the Space Environment Radio Diagnostic Center at the University of Warmia and Mazury told PAP that for the first time in the history of the LOFAR system antennas were assembled on the spot rather than in a factory. This made it easier to transport the devices in parts from the Netherlands.
The station in Mazury is the first of three such stations to be built in Poland. The other station will be located in Borowiec near Poznań and Łazy near Bochnia. The entire investment should be completed in early November. Responsible for the Polish part of the project is the consortium POLFAR, established by nine research centres. Work in Bałdy is coordinated by the University of Warmia and Mazury, in Łazy by the Jagiellonian University, and in Borowiec by the Space Research Centre PAS.
Funding the Polish participation in the international project was one of the largest research grants awarded in recent years for large research infrastructure. The Ministry of Science has allocated more than 25 million zlotys (more than 6 million euros) for this purpose.
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