Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope: Difference between revisions

The '''Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope''' ('''WSRT''') is an [[aperture synthesis]] [[interferometer]] near World War II Nazi detention and transit [[Westerbork transit camp|camp Westerbork]], north of the village of [[Westerbork (village)|Westerbork]], [[Midden-Drenthe]], in the northeastern [[Netherlands]]. It consists of a linear array of 14 [[antenna (radio)|antenna]]s with a diameter of 25 metres arranged on a 2.7&nbsp;km East-West line. It has a similar arrangement to other [[radio telescope]]s such as the [[One-Mile Telescope]], [[Australia Telescope Compact Array]] and the [[Ryle Telescope]]. Its [[Equatorial mount]] is what sets it apart from most other radio telescopes, most of which have an [[Altazimuth mount]]. This makes it specifically useful for specific types of science, like polarized emission research as the detectors maintain a constant orientation on the sky during an observation. Ten of the telescopes are on fixed mountings while the remaining four dishes are movable along two [[rail tracks]]. The telescope was completed in 1970 and underwent a major upgrade between 1995-2000.<ref>[http://www.astron.nl/about-astron/history-astron/history-astron History of ASTRON], [[ASTRON]].</ref>