About LOFAR
Initiatiefnemer: Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)
Dit project wordt medegefinancierd door de Europese Gemeenschap, Europees Fonds voor Regionale Ontwikkeling en het Samenwerkingsverband Noord Nederland, EZ/KOMPAS.
European Stations
The capabilities of LOFAR can be increased dramatically by broadening the scope to a European level, thus creating a European Sensor Network.
The European Gèant network is already being used to connect existing radio telescopes in the EVN program. It would be a natural next step to create a Europe-wide sensor grid for astronomy by adding LOFAR stations to these sites. As a European Sensor Grid, LOFAR could provide essential ground-based information complementary to earth-observation satellites, and would thus form an important contribution to the European Global Monitoring for the Environment and Security (GMES) program.
Various European countries driving to become part of the LOFAR consortium. They have formed national Consortia that focuse and represent their interest in LOFAR. They are especially eager to install a LOFAR station in their home countries. At the moment, the following eight international LOFAR stations are being funded and constructed:
• Germany: Effelsberg, Unterweilenbach/Garching, Tautenburg, Potsdam-Bornim, Jülich
Apart from the countries mentioned above, the astronomical communities from Italy, Poland, and Austria strive to join an international LOFAR consortium that is being set-up currently.
LOFAR started as a new and innovative effort to force a breakthrough in sensitivity for astronomical observations at radio-frequencies below 250 MHz.