Ceduna
Radio Observatory

The University has further boosted its high status in Australian radio astronomy with the recent acquisition of the Ceduna 1 Satellite Earth Station in South Australia. The site, with its 30 metre diameter antenna and several large buildings on 64 ha of land, was recently transferred to the University by Telstra Corporation Limited.

The official handover ceremony took place in Ceduna on Monday, 18 September, 1995. The donation of the antenna, a Ceduna landmark for 25 years, was made possible following the relocation late in 1995 of Ceduna's telecommunications functions to Perth under the companys Future International Network (FIN) modernisation program.

The University, as a national centre of excellence in radio astronomy with a long tradition of hands-on experience in this field, will operate the facility as a stand alone instrument and in conjunction with other antennas in a Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) array. The antenna will dramatically enhance the Australian VLBI array, which includes existing radio telescopes in Hobart and at Parkes, Mopra(near Coonabarabran) and Narrabri by providing a vital East-West extension required to map compact radio sources in the southern sky at high resolution and to study a range of important astrophysical problems. The facility will enable participating institutions to provide high-quality teaching and postgraduate research in astrophysics, astronomy and geodesy and will strengthen Australias international links through participation in key multinational research programs. A power point introduction to VLBI can be downloaded. It is part of the Swinburne Astronomy online course.

With the acquisition of Ceduna, the University of Tasmania will control 40% of the Australian VLBI array and will be in a position to play a major role in this area of science for many years to come.

With the help of others of course!! Here is some documentation.
Bev's basic guide
Introduction to the site and facilities
Observing guide

Here is the latest schedule