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A new astronomical facility for Peru: transforming a telecommunication's 32-metre antenna into a radio-telescope

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2006

José Ishitsuka ,
M. Ishitsuka ,
N. Kaifu ,
M. Inoue ,
M. Tsuboi ,
M. Ohishi ,
T. Kondo ,
Y. Koyama ,
T. Kasuga  and
K. Fujisawa
...Show all authors
José Ishitsuka
Affiliation:
Instituto Geofísico del Perú, Calle Badajoz 169, Urb. Mayorazgo IV Etapa, Ate-Vitarte, Lima 3, Perú email: pepe@geo.igp.gob.pe National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan
M. Ishitsuka
Affiliation:
Retired from IGP
N. Kaifu
Affiliation:
Retired from NAOJ
M. Inoue
Affiliation:
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan
M. Tsuboi
Affiliation:
Nobeyama Radio Observatory, Minamimaki, Minamisaku, Nagano 384-1305, Japan
M. Ohishi
Affiliation:
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan
T. Kondo
Affiliation:
National Institute of Information and Communications Technology 893-1 Hirai, Kashima, Ibaraki 314, Japan
Y. Koyama
Affiliation:
National Institute of Information and Communications Technology 893-1 Hirai, Kashima, Ibaraki 314, Japan
T. Kasuga
Affiliation:
Hosei University, Kajinocho 3-7-2, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8584, Japan
K. Fujisawa
Affiliation:
Yamaguchi University, Yoshida 1677-1, Yamaguchi 753-8512, Japan
K. Miyazawa
Affiliation:
Retired from NAOJ
M. Miyoshi
Affiliation:
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan
T. Umemoto
Affiliation:
Nobeyama Radio Observatory, Minamimaki, Minamisaku, Nagano 384-1305, Japan
T. Bushimata
Affiliation:
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan
S. Horiuchi
Affiliation:
Swinburne University of Technology, Faculty of Information and Communication Technologies, PO Box 218, Hawthorn VIC 3122, Australia
E. Vidal
Affiliation:
Instituto Geofísico del Perú, Calle Badajoz 169, Urb. Mayorazgo IV Etapa, Ate-Vitarte, Lima 3, Perú email: pepe@geo.igp.gob.pe
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Abstract

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In 1984 an INTELSAT antenna of 32 m of diameter was constructed at 3 370 metres above the sea level on the Peruvian Andes. At the time Entel Perú the Peruvian tele-communications company managed the antenna station, of almost 12 hectares in extension. In 1993 the government transferred the station to the private telecommunications company Telefónica del Perú. Since transoceanic fiber optics replaced radically satellite communications in 2002, a beautiful 32- metre parabolic antenna was finished its tele-communications mission and become available for other use. So in cooperation with the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan we began coordination to transform the antenna into a radio-telescope.

Researches on interstellar medium around Young Stellar Objects (YSO) are possible using methanol maser that emits at 6.7 GHz, so initially we will monitor and survey maser sources at the southern sky. An ambient temperature receiver with Trx = 60 K was developed at Nobeyama Radio Observatory and is ready to be installed. The antenna will be controlled by the Field System FS9 software installed in a PC within a Linux environment. An interface between antenna and PC was developed at Kashima Space Research Center in Japan by Mr E. Vidal.

In the near future S-band (2 GHz), X-band (8GHz), 12 GHz and 22 GHz observations are planned.

The peculiar position and altitude of the Peruvian Radio Observatory will be useful for VLBI observations with the VLBA for astronomical observation and geodetic measurements. For Peru where few or almost non astronomical observational instruments are available for research, implementation of the first radio observatory is a big step to foster sciences at graduate and postgraduate levels of universities.

Worldwide tele-communications antennas recently tend to finish their role as tele-communications antennas. Several of them are transformed into useful observational instruments.

Keywords

MaserPeruradio-astronomyYSO
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 2 , Special Session SPS5: Astronomy for the developing world , August 2006 , pp. 77 - 82
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2007

References

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