Insight into the inner workings of lightning
A bright flash, a loud bang, and a deep rumble: lightning is a fascinating meteorological phenomenon, and perhaps a little scary. Though it has been around forever, research on the inner workings of lightning has been limited thus far. However, Brian Hare and his colleagues from the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute (part of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at the University of Groningen) are shaking up the lightning research landscape. How? By using ASTRON’s large radio telescope LOFAR.
Largest Ever Radio Sky Survey Maps the Universe in Unprecedented Detail
An international collaboration using the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) has unveiled an exceptionally detailed radio sky map, revealing 13.7 million cosmic sources and delivering the most complete census yet of actively growing supermassive black holes. It showcases an extraordinary variety of systems powered by these black holes, whose radio emission can extend for millions of light-years. The newly released LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey (LoTSS-DR3) marks a major milestone in radio astronomy and international scientific collaboration. The result is published in Astronomy & Astrophysics.
European observatories and administrations in dialogue on satellite interference
On Friday 23 January, representatives from radio astronomy observatories and administrations of Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Sweden, together with members of the Committee on Radio Astronomy Frequencies (CRAF) and the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO), met at the Paris Observatory to exchange views on the challenges posed by unintended electromagnetic radiation (UEMR) from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations.
The detection of radio bursts from stellar and exoplanetary systems
Building on the expertise of researchers at Paris Observatory – PSL and ASTRON, an international team has developed a novel analysis method capable of uncovering previously undetectable stellar and exoplanetary signals hidden within archival radio-astronomical data.
Green is the New Red
© PaFu
This transformation was made possible with the help of a very dedicated assistant who happened to have school holidays and excellent taste in wall décor. He also worked for cookies, which kept the project well under budget.
More panels are waiting for their green makeover. If you'd like to join the moss movement, panel-making sessions happen on a Friday here and there or during school holidays – extra hands (big or small) are always welcome, let me know! 🌿 Cookie-based compensation cannot be guaranteed, but good company and a greener ASTRON can. 🌿
Applied RF technology course
Mon 23 Mar 2026 - Thu 26 Mar 2026
The RF course is an excellent introduction for Digital / Analog engineers who are or will be involved in the development of RF systems.