The next generation space VLBI project, VSOP-2

Autor: M. Inoue, Hirofumi Saito, Yasuhiro Murata, Nanako Mochizuki, Hideyuki Kobayashi, Philip G. Edwards, Hisashi Hirabayashi
Rok vydání: 2007
Předmět:
Zdroj: Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union. 3:517-521
ISSN: 1743-9221
1743-9213
DOI: 10.1017/s1743921307013695
Popis: The first dedicated space-VLBI project, the VLBI Space Observatory Programme (VSOP), commenced with the successful launch of radio-astronomical satellite HALCA in 1997. Plans for a second generation space-VLBI project have been made by a working group over a number of years. This project, VSOP-2, has now been approved by Japan's space agency, JAXA, as the ASTRO-G project. It is planned for the spacecraft to observe in the 8, 22 and 43 GHz bands with cooled receivers for the two higher bands, which include important maser lines. It will have a maximum angular resolution at 43 GHz (7 mm) of about 40 micro-arcseconds. Although the VSOP project mainly observed continuum emission from active galactic nuclei (AGN), VSOP-2/ASTRO-G is expected to enable a variety of high angular resolution maser line observations.
Databáze: OpenAIRE