page_title: Nançay Radio Observatory
section_title: LOFAR and NenuFAR
hierarchical_section_title: Nançay Radio Observatory / LOFAR and NenuFAR
caption_attribution_description: English: View of the antennas of the NenuFAR low-frequency radiotelescope, located at the Station de Radioastronomie in Nançay (France)
context_page_description: The Nançay Radio Observatory, opened in 1956, is part of Paris Observatory, and also associated with the University of Orléans. It is located in the department of Cher in the Sologne region of France. The station consists of several instruments. Most iconic of these is the large decimetric radio telescope, which is one of the largest radio telescopes in the world. Long established are also the radio heliograph, a T-shaped array, and the decametric array operating at wavelengths between 3 m and 30 m.
context_section_description: LOFAR consists of about 50 antenna arrays, or "stations", throughout Europe. These are connected by high-speed Internet link to a computer in the Netherlands. It is optimised for 110 MHz to 250 MHz (2.7 m to 1.2 m), but still has modest performance at 30 MHz to 80 MHz (10 m to 3.7 m).
  NenuFAR (New Extension in Nançay Upgrading LOFAR) is a very low-frequency phased arra optimised for the frequency range from 10 MHz to 85 MHz (30 m to 4 m). These are the longest radio waves not blocked by the ionosphere. Early science operations should begin in 2019. The main scientific objectives are:
  detection and study of (magnetospheres of) exoplanets at radio wavelengths,
  detection of the epoch of formation of the first stars and galaxies some 100 million years after the Big Bang, when the neutral atomic hydrogen was reionised,
  the study of pulsars, including spectroscopy, across the Milky Way, at low frequencies.
  When complete, there will be 1938 antennas. Most will be in a core of 400 m diameter, but 114 antennas will be spread to up to 3 km distance.
  NenuFAR will be a triple instrument:
  a radio telescope observing multiple positions simultaneously,
  an autonomous radio imager, building radio images of 1° resolution in seconds and of 10' in hours,
  a LOFAR "superstation", i.e. a large extension of the Nançay LOFAR station allowing the combination of NenuFAR and LOFAR to make radio images of sub-arcsecond resolution.
caption: Antennas of the NenuFAR core.
exif: {"Image Make": "Apple", "Image Model": "iPhone 4S", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "9.0.2", "Image DateTime": "2015:11:05 10:02:36", "Image ExifOffset": "180", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/1493", "EXIF FNumber": "12/5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "50", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2015:11:05 10:02:36", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2015:11:05 10:02:36", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "9563/907", "EXIF ApertureValue": "4845/1918", "EXIF BrightnessValue": "3583/366", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "107/25", "EXIF SubjectArea": "[1631, 1223, 881, 881]", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "980", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "980", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "3264", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "2183", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "35", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF LensSpecification": "[107/25, 107/25, 12/5, 12/5]", "EXIF LensMake": "Apple", "EXIF LensModel": "iPhone 4S back camera 4.28mm f/2.4"}