|
 FIRST - Use of Very Long Baseline Interferometry - Kaleden, BC Posted by:  T0SHEA
N 49° 19.253 W 119° 37.218
11U E 309588 N 5466430
The first ever experiments in the use of Very Long Baseline Interferometry to synthesize much larger instruments were conducted here and at the Algonquin Radio Observatory.
Waymark Code: WMQ323
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 12/09/2015
Views: 1
Founded in 1960, this research facility is Canada's largest radio astronomy observatory. Built at a radio quiet site in the Okanagan Valley in south central British Columbia, it presently employs three different instruments - a 26-metre fully steerable dish, a seven-antenna aperture synthesis array and a solar radio flux monitor. The facility is operated by the National Research Council of Canada’s Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics.
The first telescope at the facility was the 26-metre dish, which was put into operation in 1960. Its primary purpose was the study of hydrogen in the universe. On April 17, 1967, the 25.6-metre radio telescope at Penticton was used in conjunction with the 46-metre telescope at the Algonquin Radio Observatory to simulate the resolution of a giant radio telescope measuring 3,074 kilometres (the physical distance between the two instruments). It was the first successful long distance interferometry experiment ever conducted.
From Astro Canada
The observatory is a great place for the scientifically inclined to visit. One can get up close and personal with the telescopes as well as spending some time in the informative visitor centre. To reach the observatory, turn off Highway 97 at the sign at White Lake Road, 650 metres south of the Highway 3A intersection south of Kaleden. The observatory is about 8 kilometres down White Lake Road.
Text from a plaque mounted on the 26 metre antenna/telescope appears below.
IEEE MILESTONE IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING
First Radio Astronomical Observations Using VLBI, 1967
On the morning of 17 April 1967, radio astronomers used this radiotetescope at DRA0 and a second one at the Algonquin Radio Observatory located 3074 km away to make the first successful radio astronomical observations using Very Long Baseline Interferometry. Today, VLBI networks span the globe, extend into space, and continue to make significant contributions to both radio astronomy and geodesy.
September 2010
![]() Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory
Research facility highlights
The Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory (DRAO) is an internationally known facility for science and technology research related to radio astronomy. It operates three telescopes on its extensive radio-quiet site: a 26-metre fully steerable dish, a seven-antenna aperture synthesis array and a solar radio flux monitor. It also features labs and equipment for the development of all aspects of radio-frequency instrumentation, from antennas and feeds, to digital signal processing hardware and software.
What we offer
The John A. Galt Telescope is a 25.6 m, prime-focus, equatorially-mounted, single-antenna telescope with interchangeable feeds from 408MHz to 6.6 GHz.
The Synthesis Telescope offers wide-field imaging simultaneously in continuum bands at 408 MHz ([Lambda] = 74 cm) and at 1420 MHz ([Lambda] = 21 cm), and atomic hydrogen (HI) spectroscopy with 256 channels at 1420 MHz. It is particularly suited to studies of the interstellar medium and nearby galaxies.
The Solar Radio Flux Monitor is an automated facility that provides the 10.7 cm data that are widely used for “space weather” applications by many agencies around the world (including NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the United States Department of Defense). The site also hosts instruments for other groups requiring a radio-quiet environment, such as a rhyometer for NRCan, and the new CHIME telescope for the University of British Columbia.
Technology projects at DRAO focus on designing and building instrumentation for existing telescopes around the world, and developing new technologies for future telescopes. Our well-equipped labs enable the development and testing of radio-frequency and digital equipment.
Access and use
Since its official opening in 1960, DRAO has provided more than 50 years of outstanding achievement in astronomical sciences and technology development. Most recently, its 26-m Telescope and Synthesis Telescope (ST) were the primary source of data for the Canadian Galactic Plane Survey (CGPS, 1995 to 2009).
The Solar Radio Flux Monitor continues to play a key role in “space weather” forecasting. Technology development projects have included the ACSIS spectrometer for the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) and the WIDAR correlator for the Expanded Very Large Array (EVLA). DRAO also allows for ongoing work on novel technologies for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), including composite antennas, phased-array feeds, low-noise amplifiers, and digital signal processing hardware and software.
From the DRAO
FIRST - Classification Variable: Item or Event
Date of FIRST: 04/17/1967
More Information - Web URL: [Web Link]
|
Visit Instructions:As a suggestion for your visit log, please make every effort to supply a brief-to-detailed note about your experience at the Waymark. If possible also include an image that was taken when you visited the Waymark. Images can be of yourself, a personal Waymarking signature item or just one of general interest that would be of value to others. Sharing your experience helps promote Waymarking and provides a dynamic history of your adventures.
Recent Visits/Logs:
| There are no logs for this waymark yet. |
|
|
|
|