Spectr-R Helps Create Telescope with 350,000km Aperture

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn and the Astro Space Center in Moscow have published the interferometric results from a joint observation between the radio telescope aboard the Spektr-R satellite and the Effelsberg 100-m receiver. With a distance between them of 350,000 kms, a resolution of 40 micro arc seconds was acheived.

The target was BL Lacertae, an Active Galactic Nucleus approximately 900 million light years away.

Follow the link for the full story:   http://www.mpg.de/5888127/interferometric_signals

VLBI array: Multi-Element Radio-Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN)

as

MERLIN antennas. Image: Alastair Gunn

Wavelength	151 MHz to 24 GHz
Angular resolution	40 milliarcseconds at 5 GHz
Website	http://www.merlin.ac.uk

Observatory: Spektr-R & RadioASTRON

Spectr-R is an orbiting 10m radio telescope , the largest when launched 0631hrs 18 July 2011 from Baikonur Cosmodrome. Once in space, the flower-like main dish opened its 27 'petals' successfully within 30 minutes. Spectr-R has a highly elliptical orbit around earth.

Spectr-R is operated as part of RadioAstron, an international space VLBI project led by the Astro Space Center of Lebedev Physical Institute in Moscow, Russia. 


The telescope is capable of ultra-high resolution. The very high angular resolving power is achieved when used in conjunction with a ground-based system of radio-telescopes as part of RadioASTRON, operating at wavelengths of 1.35–6.0, 18.0 and 92.0 cm.

With its Earth-based components, it forms a network providing detailed images of the universe at 1,000 times the resolution attainable using the Hubble telescope.







News: 

RadioASTRON Testing Complete 26 June

Links:
http://www.russianspaceweb.com/spektr_r_mission.html
http://www.russianspaceweb.com/spektr_r.html
http://www.itu.int/ITU-R/space/snl/bresult/radvance.asp?sel_satname=SPECTR-R

Observatory: The Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimtre Array (ALMA) & Atacama Compact Array (ACA)

ALMA (including ACA) is currently humankind's largest astronomical project. It's currently under construction 5,000 m up on the Chajnantor plateau in Peru's Atacama Desert.

Due for completion next year, at least fifty 12-m dishes and at least one 65m dish, enhanced by a compact array of 4 x 12-m and 12 x 7-m receivers will work in concert to further extend science's vision in the 0.3mm up to 9.6mm bandwidth range.

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is a partnership of the EU, North America (USA & Canada) and East Asia (Japan & Taiwan) in cooperation with the Republic of Chile.

News: 
ALMA snaps Centaurus A 25 June 2011


Sites:

AMLAobservatory.org  << Brilliant website

ESO ALMA

ESO ALMA - Public info


NRAO ALMA

NAOJ - ALMA


BBC reports first data collection

Youtuber NikoBustos has made this tribute video: