Effelsberg radio telescope

Like in a science fiction film the aerial of the radio telescope sticks out of the Effelsberg stream valley, like a huge saucer with lattice-work edges. The Effelsberg Radio Telescope of the Max-Planck-Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, belongs to the largest fully-movable radio telescopes of the world with a diameter of 100 meters.

Signals from out of space have been received there since 1972. The technology has consistently been improved, and for this reason the 100m radio telescope is today still one of the most modern telescopes world-wide. Since 2007 a further telescope has been added for observations with more extensive wavelengths: the LOFAR Effelsberg station is part of the European wide radio telescope network, connected to each other by fast data links. Faraway galaxies, black holes and much more can be observed with the two telescopes.

Through investigating the sky with radio wavelengths a view of the cold universe is possible- into the birth and death of stars, in areas where new stars are formed in cosmic gas and dust clouds.