CSIRO astronomers reveal a ‘blue whale of space’

CSIRO astronomers have revealed the hidden face of an enormous galaxy called Centaurus A, which emits a radio glow covering an area 200 times bigger than the full Moon.

Astronomers catch a star being revved-up

Researchers have witnessed a star being transformed into an object that spins at almost 600 times a second using telescopes in the USA and the Netherlands, and CSIRO’s Parkes telescope in Australia.

Funds for the stars of radio astronomy

Australia’s position as a world leader in radio astronomy has been strengthened with the announcement in the Federal Budget of $80million of funds for the Australian National Centre for SKA (Square Kilometre Array) Science in Perth

Telescope upgrade turns data stream into a torrent

A major upgrade of CSIRO’s radio telescope near Narrabri in NSW, which will turn the instrument’s data stream into a torrent, is almost completed.

CSIRO telescopes lead observing marathon

CSIRO radio telescopes today initiated an almost non-stop, 33-hour worldwide observing marathon as part of the official start to the International Year of Astronomy.

“Astronomy without borders” on show in China

Working from China, CSIRO astronomers have remotely controlled telescopes in three countries and streamed their data to CSIRO’s Parkes Observatory in New South Wales for processing in real time.

Strange star stumps astronomers

An obese oddball of a star has left astronomers wondering how it could have formed.

CSIRO astronomers to join “private data highway” across USA

CSIRO’s Australia Telescope National Facility has been awarded a “private data highway” - a 10 gigabit per second link - across the US by a major internet consortium and a US communications company.

Australia and Germany strengthen technical links for SKA

CSIRO and its counterpart in Germany, the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, have signed an agreement that will strengthen their cooperation over plans for the international Square Kilometre Array telescope.

Gas ‘finger’ points to galaxies’ future

Like a fork piercing a fried egg, a giant finger of hydrogen gas is poking through our Milky Way Galaxy from outside, astronomers using CSIRO radio telescopes at Parkes and Narrabri have found.

Students use “The Dish” to ‘listen’ to pulsars

A CSIRO project designed to give students the chance to use “The Dish” Radio Telescope at Parkes to listen and learn about pulsars, was launched today in Canberra by the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr.

‘World’s fastest wireless’ team wins top CSIRO award

The team of scientists who developed the world’s fastest, most spectrally-efficient wireless communications link has been awarded the highest accolade CSIRO can bestow on its scientists – the 2007 CSIRO Chairman’s Medal.

Mysterious energy burst stuns astronomers

In a shock finding, astronomers using CSIRO’s Parkes telescope have detected a huge burst of radio energy from the distant universe that could open up a new field in astrophysics.

Networks create “instant world telescope”

For the first time, a CSIRO radio telescope has been linked to others in China and Europe in real-time, demonstrating the power of high-speed global networks and effectively creating a telescope almost as big as the Earth.

CSIRO astronomer awarded L’Oréal fellowship

Dr Ilana Feain of CSIRO’s Australia Telescope National Facility was one of four early-career scientists awarded a L’Oréal Australia For Women in Science Fellowship at a ceremony in Melbourne today [at 6 pm AEST].

Eureka! Emu in the Sky wins prize

Mr Barnaby Norris has won third prize in the 2007 New Scientist Eureka Prize for Science Photography.

“Accidental revolutionaries” net US$500,000 cosmology prize

Dr Brian Boyle, Director of CSIRO’s Australia Telescope National Facility, is one of a group of scientists who will share the 2007 Gruber Cosmology Prize, worth US$500,000.

World leading telescope pathway to the galaxy and beyond

Funding of $A51.7 million over four years for an innovative Australian SKA Pathfinder radio telescope will assist Australia maintain its world-class standing in astronomy in the lead up to the awarding of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project,  the CSIRO Chief Executive, Dr Geoff Garrett, said today.

Broadband networks transform radio astronomy

Astronomers from CSIRO, the Swinburne University of Technology (SUT) and the University of Tasmania have made the first broadband hook-up between Australian radio telescopes, completing in just hours an experiment that would previously have taken weeks.

Apollo Moon-landing award for telescope engineer

A former Officer-in-Charge at CSIRO's Parkes telescope is receiving an award for his role in the 1969 Moon landing.

Parkes gears up for another 45 years

CSIRO’s Parkes telescope, which turned 45 in October, is getting a new lease on life this week with the replacement of some of its drive gears.

CSIRO astronomer wins Malcolm McIntosh Prize

CSIRO astronomer Dr Naomi McClure-Griffiths has been awarded the 2006 Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year for research that has re-shaped our knowledge of our own Galaxy.

Australia, South Africa, short-listed for giant telescope

Australia and South Africa have been short-listed as the countries to host the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), a giant next-generation radio telescope being developed by scientists in 17 countries.

General relativity survives gruelling pulsar test

Astronomers have used a pair of pulsars orbiting each other, found with CSIRO’s Parkes telescope in 2003, to show that Einstein’s theory of general relativity is correct to within 0.05% – the most stringent limit to date.

Parkes finds unexpected ‘heartbeats’ in star

Astronomers using CSIRO's Parkes telescope in eastern Australia have detected radio 'heartbeats' from a star that was not expected to have them. A US-Australian research team found that a 'magnetar' – a kind of star with the strongest magnetic fields known in the Universe – is giving off extraordinary radio pulses, which links this rare type of star with the much more common 'radio pulsars'.