Australia Telescope Compact Array

The Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) is a radio telescope operated by CSIRO at the Paul Wild Observatory, twenty five kilometres (16 mi) west of the town of Narrabri in Australia.[1]

Australia Telescope Compact Array
Five of the ATCA antennas at Narrabri
Alternative namesATCA
Part ofPaul Wild Observatory 
Location(s)New South Wales, AUS
Coordinates30°18′46″S 149°33′01″E
OrganizationCSIRO 
Telescope stylecosmic microwave background experiment
radio interferometer 
Location of Australia Telescope Compact Array
Related media on Wikimedia Commons

Overview

The telescope is an array of six identical 22-metre (72 ft) diameter dishes, which commonly operate in aperture synthesis mode to produce radio images. Five of the dishes can be moved along a three-kilometre (2 mi) railway track oriented east-west. The sixth antenna is situated three kilometres west of the end of the main track. Each dish weighs about 270 tonnes (270 long tons; 300 short tons).

The Compact Array is a part of the Australia Telescope National Facility network of radio telescopes. The array is frequently operated together with other CSIRO telescopes, the 64-metre (210 ft) dish at the Parkes Observatory and a single 22-metre (72 ft) dish at Mopra (near Coonabarabran), to form a very long baseline interferometry array.[1]

The Array welcomes visitors from the general public. The facility includes a Visitor's Centre where the operations of the array can be observed in comfort and shade, and it has a range of informational displays and audiovisual presentations, while the surrounding grounds have displays and activities for visitors. Open Days are run regularly, and to mark special events such as the anniversary of the first Moon landing, or major anniversaries of the telescope itself.[2]

The children's/young adult drama Sky Trackers was filmed in this facility in 1994 with the radio telescopes being prominently featured.

  • Five of the antennas (2000)
  • One antenna vertically aligned (2005)
  • The array under construction (1988[3])
  • Star gazing beside the array, as part of its 25th anniversary celebrations on 1 September 2013.

See also

References
  1. Sault, Bob; Mirtschin, Peter (14 December 2018). "Australia Telescope Compact Array: Information for the public". CSIRO. Retrieved 2 February 2020.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. "Narrabri Visitors Centre: Visiting the Observatory". CSIRO. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  3. "Building the ATCA". csiro.au. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
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