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Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute

Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute. Introduction. Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) is A public not-for-profit public foundation dedicated to providing research and educational access to radio and optical astronomy for a broad cross-section of users.

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Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute

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  1. Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute

  2. Introduction • Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) is • A public not-for-profit public foundation • dedicated to providing research and educational access to radio and optical astronomy for a broad cross-section of users

  3. PARI has the infrastructure and building space available for: • Astronomers, Physicists,Engineers, Post-Docs, Graduate Students • Use as a base for science and environmental education and studies. • Astronomical Observations • Technology Research &Development • Student Research Projects

  4. History and Location • PARI is located on 200 acres in the Pisgah Forest near Asheville, NC • The site is relatively free of light and radio interference. • NASA began building the facility in 1962 for Gemini and Apollo space mission communications. • In a bowl shaped valley that serves to shield the antennas within. The remote location and 3100 feet elevation also enhances the sky darkness for optical astronomy. • It is now the home of PARI. * PARI

  5. Observatory Details • Two 26m (85 ft.) antennas • 12.2m (85 ft.) in a radome • 4.6m (15 ft.) “Smiley” • Jupiter/Solar 17-30MHz Antennas • Five optical telescopes

  6. Front of Building One Front of Building One – the Control Center of PARI

  7. MultiMedia Room • Seating for 50 • Ethernet throughout • IBM & Sun workstations • Physics class demo materials • LCD projector for DVD,VHS, S-VHS, tape, viewgraph, computer, wireless mikes and 6.1 surround sound

  8. Control Room • Main control center for all antennas and optical instruments

  9. 26 Meter Radio Telescopes 26m Radio Telescopes

  10. 26 East The PARI campus has two 26-m (85 ft.) radio telescopes that have recently been modified for precise pointing and sidereal tracking. Each telescope has a suite of feeds and receivers. These telescopes can be controlled together as an interferometer or operated separately from the master control center.

  11. 26 West • 327 MHz pulsar feed • 1420 MHz hydrogen • 4.8GHz formaldehyde • 6.7GHz methanol • Dual 15hp motors per axis for sidereal tracking and improved efficiency.

  12. 26 m Radio Telescope Feed Engineers taking a bucket truck to one of the 26m Telescope’s Feedbox

  13. 12.2 m Radio Telescope • Radome is a pseudo random pattern to reduce the dome’s structure effects of the antenna pattern • Precision 0.4mm antenna surface supports operations to 60 GHz. • This radio telescope may become the Microwave Astrophysics for Science Education Research (MASER) Observatory designed to survey the Galactic Plane for water masers occurring in regions of star formation.

  14. Smiley The 4.6-m Radio Telescope The Smiley 4.6m Radio Telescope “Smiley”

  15. 20 MHz Receiver 20 MHz Receiver To study the powerful radio emission variations as a function of frequency, R. Flagg, and Jim Sky (Radio Sky Publishing) have designed hardware to work with a pair of M-Squared 17-30LP7 log periodic yagis to be used between 17 and 30 MHz. Solar energy bursts are being measured during the day using this antenna facility.

  16. Seismometer and Cosmic Ray Monitor PARI ALSO HAS SEVERAL ATMOSPHERIC AND ENVIRONMENT MONITORING DEVICES Earthquake Monitor Cosmic Ray Monitor Seismometer Cosmic Ray Monitor

  17. Lightning detector and weather station Lightning Detector Weather Lightning Detector Weather Station

  18. Optical Astronomy • A 44 inch mirror will serve as an addition for our optical research facilities. Funding is being actively sought to complete construction of this telescope. • Several 20cm to 50cm optical telescopes are involved in variable star and gamma ray burst optical counterpart research.

  19. Optical Telescope Ridge • PARI Optical Ridge • Location: Optical observatories are 500 m from the PARI Main Campus and runs East-West with sharp N-S drop-offs • Altitude 910 m, Latitude 35O 11.8’ N, Longitude 82O 52.3’ W • Horizon: Lowest point is 0.25O and highest point is 5O • Skies: Average of two nights per week for spectroscopy, differential photometry, astrometry • Ideal for long-term and survey work

  20. Solar and Lunar Telescopes OVIEW: Two 12.5 cm telescopes These telescopes are used to direct live images of the Sun and Moon to the Internet

  21. Roll-off Roof Observatories These are roll-off roof observatories. The one on the left (North) is used for gamma ray burst observations and the other (South) is used for variable star observations.

  22. 0.30m Optical Telescope Telescope inside the South Observatory

  23. Present Activities • Astronomers come to PARI to use radio telescopes for their research • Graduate students conduct their doctoral research at PARI • Undergraduates work with PARI staff scientists on research projects • High school students complete senior research projects at PARI • High school science teachers attend education workshops at PARI • K-12 students enjoy using the 4.6 m (15 ft.) radio astronomy antenna • K-12, supported by PARI staff, use the STARLAB Planetarium resources • PARI facilitates astronomy workshops and regional society meetings

  24. PARI Research and Education Programs II. Overview of Programs and Initiatives

  25. StarLab • 23ft diameter x 13 feet high inflated portable planetarium • Have given shows to more than 25,000 children in Western NC

  26. STARLAB Planetarium

  27. Inside the STARLAB Planetarium Checking out the projector Dr. Hayward sets up STARLAB The show begins Guests enter the STARLAB

  28. Smiley 4.6m • School of Galactic Radio Astronomy (SGRA) Internet Classroom • Remotely controllable via the Internet • Teacher workshops to use lab workbooks for classroom student training • Radio astronomy electronics and software projects • 1.4 , 4.8, 12 GHz frequencies now in use

  29. PARI hosts professional astronomer workshops and symposia

  30. More than 200 Volunteers work side-by-side with PARI Engineers and Scientists

  31. PARSEC: A UNC Center at PARI • PARI has entered into a partnership with the University of North Carolina 16 campus system to form the Pisgah Astronomical Science Research, and Education Center (PARSEC).   • The goals of PARSEC are to: • ·  Strengthen the existing bond with the UNC system; • ·  Foster new opportunities for research and education within the system; • ·  Ensure the future availability of PARI’s resources regionally, nationally, and for the University of North Carolina system.

  32. View of Main Campus from the Optical Telescope Ridge w w w . p a r i . e d u

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