Solar Radio Astronomy Observatory
Coordinates: 52 ° 17 ′ 1.5 ″ N , 13 ° 8 ′ 7 ″ E
The Observatory for Solar Radio Astronomy Tremsdorf (OSRA) is a radio telescope observatory near Tremsdorf in the Potsdam-Mittelmark district , which was established in 1954 and is part of the Solar Radiophysics research area of the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP). This type of solar observation is unique in Germany. The radio radiation observed comes from the corona of our sun .
history
The Astrophysical Observatory Potsdam (AOP) was founded on July 1st, 1874. It was called the Astrophysical Institute Potsdam until April 14, 2011 and is now called the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam .
Already between 1893 and 1896 an attempt was made to find radio emissions from the sun in the AOP, at that time still on Telegrafenberg, the site of today's Albert Einstein Science Park . At that time, they did not have any sensitive measuring devices at their disposal, so they tried to make use of the fritter effect. The experiments are well documented, but ultimately failed. After that, nothing happened in this direction on the AOP for a long time.
Only after the Second World War began radio observations of the sun at the AOP by Herbert Daene . Initially, the Babelsberg observatory was used for this. On June 30, 1954, the observatory for solar radio astronomy was founded near Tremsdorf , where research continues to this day. Since radio waves can be disturbed near cities, the observatory was built in this remote area. The head of the responsible solar physics department at the AIP is today Prof. Dr. Gottfried Mann .
In the past, OSRA had around 30 employees and its own transport service. In the meantime only about 10 scientists and a few doctoral students work in Tremsdorf. The data can now be exchanged and evaluated internationally. Initially, the measurement results were recorded on-site on paper rolls. In the meantime, data is recorded by computers. Dr. Henry Aurass, research assistant at OSRA, during a visit on September 12, 2007: “But of course we kept all paper records. Because we still need them if we want to compare today's results with previous ones. "
Shutdown
The Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam gave up and dismantled the observatory in Tremsdorf in 2014. The parabolic antennae were dismantled and the operating buildings demolished. A 60-year history of research ends at this location. The research area for solar radio technology will be retained at the institute and will be continued after the installation of a new system in Potsdam-Bornim.
technology
The antennas have been upgraded again and again since the OSRA was established. In the GDR this had to be done on their own. Nevertheless, the results were already good back then.
Four tuning spectrographs are fed by a system of four different antennas in the frequency bands 40 MHz - 100 MHz, 100 MHz - 170 MHz, 200 MHz - 400 MHz and 400 MHz - 800 MHz. A pair of double-logarithmically crossed Yagi antennas , a 10.5 m parabolic mirror and two 7.5 m parabolic mirrors are used, the parabolic antennas being mounted parallactically . This facilitates the daily tracking of the antennas, which have to follow the apparent movement of the sun. This now happens automatically. Two multi-channel spectrometers can also be used for special observations.
research
The generation of high-energy electrons is the main research focus of the Solar Radiophysics group . OSRA participates in all important solar-related space missions. At the moment these are RHESSI and STEREO .
The German institutes interested in LOFAR have founded the German LOng Wavelength consortium (GLOW). This also includes the AIP with its research area Solar Radiophysics - and thus the Tremsdorf Observatory. The location of the LOFAR station will, however, be Bornim .
Web links
- AIP: Solar Radiophysics - Research Area I
- Information about the observatory in Tremsdorf 57 MByte. Created by students in the ninth grade of Weinberg-Gymnasium during a two-week internship in 2008 at the Astrophysical Institute in Potsdam. It can also be found directly at the observatory in Tremsdorf.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jens Steglich: No more solar data from Tremsdorf. July 15, 2014, accessed December 15, 2016 .