WSRT is a leg of Around the World in 80 Telescopes tour: Click to play; click  (lower right) to view video full screen Next stop: LOFAR (previous stop: EVN)

The Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT) is one of the most powerful radio observatories in the world. It enables astronomers to study a wide range of astrophysical problems: from pulsars to kinematics of nearby galaxies to the physics of black-holes.^[1]

Photo: WSRT in operation

The Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT) consists of 14 dish-shaped antennas. These antennas can be individually directed at any point on the sky. Ten of the dishes have a fixed location, while two at the eastern end of the array can be moved on rails.^[2]

The WSRT is an open user facility available for scientists from any country. It is also part of the European VLBI network (EVN) of radio telescopes. This allows the astronomers to obtain some of the sharpest and more detailed images possible in astronomy.^[1] 

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