Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT)

Radio Observatory is a place where history, nature and science meet, an interesting and educational walk.

Two telescopes of the Radio Observatory, slightly to the west at Former KAmp Westerbork, are the other twelve. The Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT also known as Radio Observatory Westerbork or Zwiggelte) is a radio telescope consisting of fourteen separate parabolic antennas in the woods near Hooghalen and Westerbork in Drenthe. The WSRT was commissioned in 1970 and is still used for astronomical observations.

The 14 parabolic antennas that together form The Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope, or WSRT for short, are scattered in the woods around Camp Westerbork. When I walk past such an antenna, I always feel like these things are straight out of a 50's sci-fi movie.