Sardinia Radio Telescope
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| Alternative names | SRT |
|---|---|
| Location(s) | San Basilio, Province of Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy |
| Coordinates | 39°29′34″N 9°14′42″E / 39.4928°N 9.245°E |
| Altitude | 600 m (2,000 ft) |
| First light | 8 August 2012 |
| Diameter | 64 m (210 ft 0 in) |
| Secondary diameter | 7.9 m (25 ft 11 in) |
| Mass | 3,300 t (3,300,000 kg) |
| Website | www |
  Location of Sardinia Radio Telescope | |
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The Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT) is 64-metre fully steerable radio telescope near San Basilio, Province of Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy. Completed in 2011, it is a collaboration between the Istituto di Radioastronomia di Bologna, the Cagliari Observatory (Cagliari) and the Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory (Florence).
The telescope is in Sardinia, 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Cagliari,[1] and is the largest[2] of a set of three telescopes operated by INAF, along with telescopes at the Medicina Radio Observatory and the Noto Radio Observatory. It operates as a stand-alone instrument and as part of global networks of telescopes. The telescope and its structure weighs around 3,300 tonnes (3,300,000 kg).[1]
The primary mirror is 64 metres (210 ft) in diameter. It has an active surface consisting of 1008 aluminum panels in 14 rows. Each panel has an area between 2.4 and 5.3 square metres. There are 1116 actuators mounted on the backing structure, which move the surface panels to correct for the distortion of the mirror with elevation. A quadrupod supports a 7.9 metres (26 ft) diameter subreflector, with 49 panels in three rows, as well as primary focus instrumentation.[1]
The telescope is fully steerable. The telescope sits on a reinforced concrete base, carved into bedrock, with a continuously-welded track sitting on a 40 metres (130 ft) diameter outer ring, connected to the foundations with 260 pairs of anchor bolts, and supporting 16 wheels. In the centre is the azimuth bearing support, as well as the cable wrap and encoder system. The welded steel alidade then supports the elevation wheel, which is in turn connected to the primary mirror backing structure. A room at the base of the alidade holds the motor power supplies, antenna control system, and cryogenic compressors. Three rooms just below the primary surface contain the secondary focus receivers, as well as smaller mirrors and electronics.[1]
The telescope will ultimately have 0.3–115 GHz (1 metre to 3mm) continuous frequency coverage.[1] Initially three receivers were installed: an L band receiver in prime focus, a C-band receiver in the tertiary focus, and a 7-beam K-band receiver in the secondary focus.[3]
As of 2021, an upgrade was in progress to include two new receivers to cover more of the potential bandwidth. This includes a set of 33-50 GHz receivers, and another set ranging from 70-116 GHz.[4][5] This in turn requires the metrology and adjustment of the antenna be improved to allow efficient operation at such frequencies.[6]
As part of a contract issued in 2024[7], the SRT is being upgraded with receivers in the X, K, and Ka bands to support space missions.
