Mount Pleasant Radio Observatory facts for kids
| Location | Cambridge, Tasmania, Australia |
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The Mount Pleasant Radio Observatory is a special place in Cambridge, Tasmania, Australia. It's where scientists use giant antennas to study space! This observatory is owned by the University of Tasmania. It's about 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of Hobart. Here, you'll find three big radio antennas and a museum.
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Radio Telescopes at Mount Pleasant
The observatory has two radio telescopes that are currently working. These are the Mount Pleasant 26-meter antenna and a 12-meter AuScope VLBI Antenna. These telescopes help scientists listen to signals from space.
The observatory is connected to the University of Tasmania's Hobart campus. They use a special 25-kilometer (15-mile) fibre optic cable. This cable was put in place in 2007. It helps send all the information from the telescopes very quickly.
The 26-meter radio dish has an interesting history. It used to be at the Orroral Valley Tracking Station in Australia. There, it helped track satellites and supported NASA space missions with astronauts. Now, this big telescope is part of Australia's very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) network. This network links many telescopes together to act like one giant telescope.
There was also a 14-meter telescope called the Vela telescope. It was built in 1981 to study a special star called the Vela Pulsar. This telescope worked for over 20 years, tracking the pulsar almost all day, every day. It is not used anymore, but it is being fixed up.
Other Telescopes in Australia
The University of Tasmania also uses other radio astronomy antennas in different parts of Australia. These include a 30-meter telescope at the Ceduna Radio Observatory in South Australia. They also have two more 12-meter AuScope antennas. One is in Katherine in the Northern Territory, and the other is in Yaragadee in Western Australia.
The University also runs an optical astronomy observatory called the Bisdee Tier Optical Astronomy Observatory. This observatory uses light to study space, not radio waves. Another observatory, the Canopus Hill Observatory, is now closed.
Grote Reber Museum
At the Mount Pleasant site, there is a museum dedicated to a famous scientist named Grote Reber. He was a very important person in the history of radio astronomy. The museum tells the story of his life and his amazing work. It even holds some of his ashes.
The museum has a cool 3D theater where you can watch movies about space. It also shows how important Tasmania has been in the field of radiophysics. About 5,000 people visit the museum each year. They also have special "Open Days" where everyone can come and learn. Students from the University of Tasmania sometimes work as tour guides at the museum.
See also
- List of radio telescopes
