!Welcome to the LOFAR-UK Pages for Astronomers ---- The '''LO'''w '''F'''requency '''AR'''ray, '''[[http://www.lofar.org/ | LOFAR]]''', is a next-generation software-driven telescope. LOFAR consists of many thousands of antennae spread all over Europe run from it's headquarters in The Netherlands by ASTRON. Operating in the poorly explored 30-240 MHz frequency range, with an unprecedented field of view and multiple beams, it is opening up a completely new phase of radio astrophysics. LOFAR will revolutionize our ability to study the Universe and allow us to address five of the nine key science questions on the [[ http://www.so.stfc.ac.uk/roadmap | Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) roadmap]], namely: * What is the universe made of and how does it evolve? * Are we alone in the universe? * How do galaxies, stars and planets form and evolve? * What are the laws of physics in extreme conditions? * How does the Sun affect the Earth? LOFAR-UK is a consortium of [[Main.Organisations | 22 UK scientific/academic institutions]], which has successfully installed a LOFAR international station in Chilbolton, Hampshire. ---- !!!! For information on observing with the International LOFAR Telescope, see [[here->http://www.astron.nl/radio-observatory/astronomers/asking-time/asking-time-0]] !!!! Information on using LOFAR-Chilbolton as a stand-alone array can be found on [[this page->Main/For Observers]] !!!! Check out the latest LOFAR news on the main [[LOFAR site-> http://www.lofar.org/]] !!!! Follow [[LOFAR on Twitter-> http://twitter.com/ASTRON_LOFAR]] !!!! Visit the [[LOFAR USERS Forum->http://usg.lofar.org/forum/index.php]] This is a wiki site. If it doesn't contain what you think it should and you are a member of the LOFAR-UK consortium you can edit it yourself. If you don't know how to edit a wiki, use the help pages in the sidebar, or [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Wiki_markup | wikipedia has great help pages]]. If you don't have the right passwords please use the contact details (on the menu to the left) to ask. ---- !!LOFAR:UK Timeline (for more details on recent events see the blog) * [Mar 2012] First open call for proposals issued for use of Chilbolton station in stand-alone mode * [Feb 2012] Student army remobilizes to repair January storm damage. * [Jan 2012] Array suffers some storm damage, damaging 1 HBA and 15 LBAs * [Jan 2011] First commissioning images with Chilbolton released - [[http://blog.lofar-uk.org/2011/02/first-images-from-lofar-including.html]] * [Jan 2011] First fringes between Chilbolton and the Netherlands * [Dec 2010] First data packets transmitted from Chilbolton to Groningen over the fast link. * [Oct 2010] Network link installed * [Sept 2010] LOFAR-UK station now opened - [[http://blog.lofar-uk.org/2010/09/official-lofar-uk-opening.html]] * [Summer 2010] Installation of Chilbolton Station * [Nov 2009] Component parts for LOFAR:UK Chilbolton Station arrived from The Netherlands * [Aug 2009] Planning permission granted by Test Valley Borough Council for Chilbolton LOFAR station * [Jun 2009] LOFAR Surveys workshop * [Nov 2008] STFC PPRP recommendation made to PPAN (for decision Jan 2009) * [May 2008] '''[[http://www.chilbolton.rl.ac.uk/ | Chilbolton]] is chosen as the first LOFAR-UK site!''' * [May 2008] [[http://www.icg.port.ac.uk/sepnet | SEPNET]] is funded by HEFCE and allows three new universities to join LOFAR-UK (Sussex, Kent, QMUL) * [July 2007] UK sites are RFI tested by main LOFAR team ([[Attach:20070706_RFI_measurements_at_chilbolton.jpg | see photo from Owain Davies @ Chilbolton]]) * [Jan 2007] Final version of the [[Attach:LOFAR-UK-whitepaper.pdf|LOFAR-UK White Paper]] released.