News

The sharpest view of the radio Universe: VLBI – Connecting Astronomers Worldwide. A new series of online seminars with 7 speakers covering 7 different science topics, every ~7 weeks. The first EVN e-seminar will take place on Wednesday 8 July 2020, 10:30 CEST. Cristiana Spingola (Univ. Bologna & IRA-INAF) will talk about “Using Strong Gravitational Lensing to Zoom in on High-Redshift Galaxies”.

An international group of researchers observed a source of variable gamma rays identified in 2010 by the NASA satellite Fermi. They used a technique called VLBI, that combines data from several radio telescopes on Earth, to produce the sharpest images. Surprisingly, the source of gamma rays was a symbiotic nova, a peculiar stellar system known to astronomers as V407 Cyg. These stellar systems were not known to emit very high energy radiation, therefore with the observations in 2010, Fermi identified the first member of a new class of objects.The astronomers now released the results of their VLBI campaign carried out during the spectacular outburst that produced the gamma rays. The images, compiled using the radio waves detected by telescopes in Europe and in the US, are the most detailed to date. They reveal the aftermath of a powerful cosmic explosion due to the interaction of two stars on close orbit.

A Canadian-led team of astronomers, including researchers from JIVE, has discovered that a repeating fast radio burst (FRB) originating from a nearby galaxy pulses at regular intervals. Researchers within the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) Fast Radio Burst Collaboration used the CHIME telescope in British Columbia to show that the repeating radio source known as FRB 180916.J0158+65 - first discovered in 2018 by the same group - pulsates apparently every 16.35 days.

JIVE is an international research infrastructure committed to recognise and protect Diversity as the key against Discrimination.

The 56th edition of the EVN newsletter is now available! Click here to read about science, technical and network highlights and check the newest call for proposals for the EVN!

Event Horizon Telescope Images of a Black-Hole Powered Jet

Following the recommendations of the Dutch authorities, the ASTRON premises in Dwingeloo, which host JIVE, are closed until at least 20 May.

The AstroFlash project will use the European VLBI Network to precisely localise the positions of Fast Radio Bursts.

Observations using 21 telescopes of the European VLBI Network (EVN) have revealed that a cosmic explosion, called AT2018cow most likely formed a neutron star with an extremely powerful magnetic field - known as a magnetar.

The past decade has seen leaps forward in both the scientific and technical expertise needed to conduct high resolution radio astronomy observations from space. Future detailed studies of compact celestial radio sources, related technologies and recent breakthroughs in the field are highlighted in a special issue of Advances in Space Research, entitled “High Resolution Space-Bourne Radio Astronomy”.