Warkworth Radio Telescope

The Warkworth 12m Radio Telescope[1] at the Warkworth Radio Astronomical Observatory is operated by the Institute of Radio Astronomy and Space Research of Auckland University of Technology. It was constructed in 2008[2][3][4] and is located just south of Warkworth off SH1 about 50 km north of Auckland, New Zealand.

Warkworth 12m Radio Telescope
Part ofWarkworth Radio Astronomical Observatory 
Location(s)Auckland, Auckland Region, New Zealand
Coordinates36°25′59″S 174°39′45″E
Telescope styleradio telescope 
Diameter12.1 m (39 ft 8 in)
Secondary diameter1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)
Location of Warkworth Radio Telescope
Related media on Wikimedia Commons

Technical information

The 12m diameter antenna was designed and constructed by COBHAM Satcom, Patriot Products division.

The antenna is a fully steerable dual shaped Cassegrain with a main dish Diameter of 12.1 m and a secondary Reflector diameter of 1.8m. The focal Length is 4.538 m. The surface precision is 0.35 mm (RMS) and the pointing accuracy is 18 inches. It operates in the L-Band, S-Band and X-Band with dual polarization S and X-band feeds from COBHAM with room temperature receivers, the receiver systems cover 2.2 to 2.4 GHz at S-band and 8.1 to 9.1 GHz at X-band.

It is mounted alt-azimuth and has slewing rates of 5 deg/s in azimuth and 1.25 deg/s in elevation and acceleration of 1.3 deg/s/s.

Research activity

In 2010 this dish was used for several Very Long Baseline Interferometry observations[5][6] as part of the Australian Long Baseline Array.[7]

It will also from 2011 be part of the International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry.[8] As such, it is also co-located with a LINZ/GeoNet 'PositioNZ' GNSS [9] station to help future inclusion in the definition of the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF).

See also

References
  1. Gulyaev, S., Natusch, T., "Introducing the AUT 12m Radio Telescope". Southern Stars, 47 (1), 2008.
  2. Gulyaev, S., Natusch, T., "New Zealand 12-m VLBI Station for Geodesy and Astronomy". IVS 2008 Annual Report, 2008.
  3. D., Dickey, 9 October 2008, Rodney Times,p.11, A first for NZ, New Zealand's first professional radio telescope was officially opened yesterday at Satellite Station Rd in Warkworth.
  4. D., Dickey, 16 October 2008,p.5, Rodney Times, Science fiction becomes reality, The Telecom satellite station south of Warkworth held the official opening of the new radio telescope on 8 October.
  5. Tzioumis et al, Evolution of the pc-scale structure of PKS 1934-638 revisited: first science with the ASKAP and New Zealand telescopes, The Astronomical Journal 140 (2010) 1506-1510
  6. Leonid Petrov; Chris Phillips; Tasso Tzioumis; Bruce Stansby; Cormac Reynolds; Hayley Bignall; Sergei Gulyaev; Tim Natusch; Neville Palmer (2010). "First geodetic observations using new VLBI stations ASKAP-29 and WARK12M". Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia. 28 (2): 107–116. arXiv:1012.4243. Bibcode:2011PASA...28..107P. doi:10.1071/AS10048.
  7. "VLBI and the Australian Long Baseline Array".
  8. "International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry (IVS)".
  9. "PositioNZ".
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