60 years of the Grand Radio Telescope of Nançay (Open house)

[Richard Squirrel]

On May 15, 1965, General de Gaulle inaugurated the Grand Radiotelescope de Nançay, kicking off an exciting scientific adventure.

Designed in 1960 and built by the Compagnie Française d'Entreprises, it features a Kraus-type mount: a fixed spherical mirror 300 m in diameter coupled with a movable plane mirror, offering remarkable resolution and sensitivity from the outset.

A Scientific Epic
Study of pulsars: ultra-precise chronometry was quickly used to probe background gravitational waves.
Mapping of galactic hydrogen: observation of the 21 cm H I line was one of the pillars of early studies of the interstellar medium.
Galactic kinematics: pioneering measurements of radial velocities, laying the foundations for research on the Hubble constant and dark matter. Comet exploration: detection of the OH radical in comet Kohoutek (1973), prelude to modern cometary monitoring.

https://www.obs-nancay.fr/2025/06/23/60-ans-du-grand-radiotelescope-de-nancay/
 
On Sunday, May 25, 2025, during Heritage Days, the Nançay Radio Astronomical Observatory opens its doors for a friendly day dedicated to astronomy.

Come discover the behind-the-scenes of research and enjoy numerous activities :
🔭 Conferences open to all:
• 11:00 a.m. – Jupiter, its moons, and radio observations from Earth (Émilie Mauduit)
• 2:00 p.m. – The Sun and Sun-Earth relations (Clara Froment)
• 3:30 p.m. – The 60th anniversary of the Large Radio Telescope and its great discoveries (Ismaël Cognard)

📡 Guided tours of the Large Radio Telescope for its 60th anniversary and of the observatory's other instruments
🚌 Interactive workshops with SpaceBus France
🌠 Activities offered by regional astronomy associations
✨ Light painting art exhibition

https://www.obs-nancay.fr/2025/09/04/journee_portes_ouvertes_2025/

 

@+ Richard

[Dave Typinski]

Nancay Observatory is a /very/ interesting place, well worth the time to visit.
Here's a trip report from 2016 to whet one's appetite.

https://www.radiojove.net/SUG/Pubs/Nancay%20Trip%20Report,%20Typinski%20%20(SUG,%202016).pdf

Speaking of appetites, if you go, make sure to visit Les Sables de Nancay. As
with all French food, it's absolutely wonderful. They even put a drawing of a
radio telescope on the packaging.

https://www.lessablesdenancay.com/3-les-sables
--
Dave

On 9/7/25 15:20, Richard Squirrel wrote:
> On May 15, 1965, General de Gaulle inaugurated the Grand Radiotelescope de
> Nançay, kicking off an exciting scientific adventure.
> Designed in 1960 and built by the Compagnie Française d'Entreprises, it features
> a Kraus-type mount: a fixed spherical mirror 300 m in diameter coupled with a
> movable plane mirror, offering remarkable resolution and sensitivity from the
> outset.
>

> Grand Radiotélescope décimétrique de Nançay.jpg
>
> A Scientific Epic
> Study of pulsars: ultra-precise chronometry was quickly used to probe background
> gravitational waves.
> Mapping of galactic hydrogen: observation of the 21 cm H I line was one of the
> pillars of early studies of the interstellar medium.
> Galactic kinematics: pioneering measurements of radial velocities, laying the
> foundations for research on the Hubble constant and dark matter. Comet
> exploration: detection of the OH radical in comet Kohoutek (1973), prelude to
> modern cometary monitoring.
>
> https://www.obs-nancay.fr/2025/06/23/60-ans-du-grand-radiotelescope-de-nancay/
>

> On *Sunday, May 25, 2025*, during Heritage Days, the Nançay Radio Astronomical

> Observatory opens its doors for a friendly day dedicated to astronomy.
>
> Come discover the behind-the-scenes of research and enjoy numerous activities :
> 🔭 Conferences open to all:
> • 11:00 a.m. – Jupiter, its moons, and radio observations from Earth (Émilie
> Mauduit)
> • 2:00 p.m. – The Sun and Sun-Earth relations (Clara Froment)
> • 3:30 p.m. – The 60th anniversary of the Large Radio Telescope and its great
> discoveries (Ismaël Cognard)
>
> 📡 Guided tours of the Large Radio Telescope for its 60th anniversary and of the
> observatory's other instruments
> 🚌 Interactive workshops with SpaceBus France
> 🌠 Activities offered by regional astronomy associations
> ✨ Light painting art exhibition
>
> https://www.obs-nancay.fr/2025/09/04/journee_portes_ouvertes_2025/
>
> @+ Richard
>

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