Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory 4079196 219699300 2008-06-16T13:52:10Z 41.241.55.172 Moved section on XDM/KAT to own section (from Research) [[Image:HartRAO00.jpg|thumb|left|<center>'''Hartebeesthoek main dish'''</center>]] The '''Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory''' (HartRAO) is a [[radio astronomy]] [[observatory]] located in a natural bowl of hills at [[Hartebeesthoek]] just south of the [[Magaliesberg]] mountain range, [[Gauteng province]], [[South Africa]], about 50 [[km]] west of [[Johannesburg]]. It is a National Research Facility run by South Africa's [[National Research Foundation of South Africa|National Research Foundation]] and is the only major radio astronomy observatory in [[Africa]]. ==History== The observatory was originally named ''Deep Space Station 51'' and was built in [[1961]] by the [[National Aeronautics and Space Administration]] (NASA). In this role the station assisted in tracking many unmanned [[United States]] space missions, including the Ranger, Surveyor and Lunar Orbiter spacecraft (which landed on the [[Moon]] or mapped it from orbit), the Mariner missions (which explored the planets [[Venus]] and [[Mars]]) and the Pioneer missions (which measured the [[Sun]]'s winds). NASA withdrew from the station in [[1975]], handing it over to South Africa's [[Council for Scientific and Industrial Research]] (CSIR), who converted to a radio astronomy observatory. In [[1988]] the observatory became a National Facility operated by the [[Foundation for Research Development]] (FRD); in [[1999]] the FRD was restructured as the National Research Foundation (NRF). ==The Radio Telescope== The observatory is equipped with a single 260 [[ton]] [[radio telescope]] with a main reflecting surface [[diameter]] of 26 [[metre]]s. The telescope is equipped with [[radio]] receivers operating in the [[microwave]] band at wavelengths of 18cm, 13cm, 6cm, 5cm, 4.5cm, 3.5cm and 2.5cm. ==Research== [[Image:MeerKAT00.jpg|thumb|<center>'''MeerKAT prototype dish'''</center>]] HartRAO is mainly used for continuum [[radiometry]], [[spectroscopy]], [[pulsar]] timing and [[interferometry]] but also works together with radio telescopes on other continents as well as the orbiting radio telescope [[HALCA]] in order to perform [[Very Long Baseline Interferometry]] (VLBI). HartRAO is an associate member of the [[European VLBI Network]], but also operates with the [[Australia Telescope Long Baseline Array]], the [[Asia-Pacific Telescope]], the [[Very Long Baseline Array|United States Very Long Baseline Array]] and the Global Array. HartRAO also runs a [[Space Geodesy]] programme using VLBI, [[Satellite laser ranging]] and the [[Global Positioning System]]. The observatory also provides students and lecturers from South African universities the facilities and opportunities to perform research. == Involvement with the Karoo Array Telescope Project == The XDM, a prototype dish for the [[MeerKAT]] radio telescope, has been constructed at HartRAO. The XDM dish design will first be used in [[KAT-7]], a seven-dish engineering testbed and science instrument to be built in [[Carnarvon, South Africa|Carnarvon]] in the [[Northern Cape Province]]. KAT-7 will mark the first stage of MeerKAT development. MeerKAT, a 50+ dish system, will be built on the same site, and is projected to be operational by 2012. ==External links== *[http://www.hartrao.ac.za/ Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory Website] *[http://www.ska.ac.za/ SKA (Square Kilometre Array) Website] [[Category:Astronomical observatories in South Africa]][[Category:Radio telescopes]] {{coor title dms|25|53|24|S|27|41|07|E|region:ZA_type:landmark}}