Dutch high school students took control of the iconic CSIRO Parkes radio telescope in Australia via the Internet on 28 May 2010 as part of CSIRO’s PULSE@Parkes program. Projects such as PULSE@Parkes show the potential for future radio telescopes such as ASKAP and the SKA to interest and inspire students around the world in astronomy.
Held at The Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (known as ASTRON), the students from Emelwerda College had two hours to use the telescope to observe several pulsars and analyse the data they collected. While it was daytime in The Netherlands it was around midnight in Australia. The 64-metre radio telescope was floodlit so that the students could see it move with a webcam.
The students talked via videoconference with CSIRO pulsar astronomer Dr George Hobbs in the telescope’s control room at Parkes, while Dr David Champion, an astronomer from the Max Planck Institute for Radioastronomy in Germany, visited ASTRON to assist with observations and tackle the students’ questions about pulsars. According to PULSE@Parkes Coordinator Robert Hollow, the students were impressed by taking control of the 1000-tonne telescope. “They really appreciated the opportunity to interact with professional scientists and use a major telescope such as Parkes,” says Rob.
CSIRO plans to build on the experience of PULSE@Parkes to develop remote observing education programs for ASKAP and later for the SKA. ASTRON astronomer Dr Marijke Haverkorn has been active in establishing a similar program, Dwingeloo Live, at ASTRON. She has worked with Emelwerda College teacher Cornelis de Boer to develop educational materials for Dutch students.
Image: CSIRO’s 64-m Parkes radio telescope. Credit: David McClenaghan, CSIRO.