Warkworth Radio Astronomical Observatory facts for kids
The Warkworth Radio Astronomical Observatory is a special place where scientists use giant antennas to study space. It's like a listening station for the universe! This observatory is located near Warkworth, New Zealand, which is about 50 kilometers north of Auckland.
The Institute for Radio Astronomy and Space Research, part of Auckland University of Technology, runs this observatory. They use it to learn more about distant stars, galaxies, and other amazing things in space.
Contents
What is a Radio Telescope?
A radio telescope is different from the telescopes you might see in pictures, which use lenses or mirrors to see visible light. Radio telescopes "see" radio waves that come from space. These waves are invisible to our eyes, but they carry lots of information about the universe.
Think of it like this: your radio picks up music from a radio station. A radio telescope picks up signals from space. These signals can tell us about things that happened billions of years ago!
The Telescopes at Warkworth
The Warkworth Observatory has two main radio telescopes:
The WARK12M Telescope
The first telescope built here was the WARK12M 12-meter Radio Telescope. It was finished in 2008. The "12M" means its main dish is 12 meters (about 39 feet) wide. That's pretty big!
The WARK30M Telescope
In 2010, the observatory got permission to use an even bigger dish. This became the WARK30M 30-meter Radio Telescope. Its dish is 30 meters (almost 100 feet) wide, making it much more powerful.
These telescopes work together and sometimes even with other telescopes far away. In 2011, they started making observations with the Australian Long Baseline Array. This means they linked up with telescopes in Australia.
How Do They Study Space?
To study space, the observatory needs super accurate timing. They have a special clock called a Hydrogen maser on site. This clock is incredibly precise, which is very important when combining signals from telescopes that are thousands of kilometers apart.
The observatory also has a very fast internet connection. It's a 10 gigabits per second (Gbps) link to the Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network. This super-fast connection lets them send huge amounts of data quickly. It also helps them connect with other research networks around the world. This way, scientists can share information and work together on big projects, even if they are in different countries.
