Metsähovi Radio Observatory

Metsähovi 50 years

This year, Aalto University’s Metsähovi Radio Observatory will celebrate its 50th anniversary. To celebrate five decades, we are organising many special events this year.

Aurora Borealis at Metsähovi Radio Observatory

Metsähovi Radio Observatory turns 50 and gets new telescopes

Students helped design and build the new telescopes, which expands the opportunities for multidisciplinary space research and education

News
Metsähovi radio observatory photographed from a bird's eye view. A radio observatory in the middle of a green forest landscape.

Metsähovi welcomes schools to explore the radio observatory's research activities in May 2024


Aalto Junior and Metsähovi Astronomical Radio Observatory welcome schools to explore the radio-astronomical research of the Radio Observatory in May 2024.

Events
Metsähovi 50 years

Tähtitiistait event series in autumn 2024

Aalto University's Metsähovi radio observatory turns 50 this year. To mark the anniversary, an open lecture series "Tähtitiistait" will be held in the new Marsio building in autumn 2024. Welcome!

News

Research

The research activities at Metsähovi are concentrated on radio observations done at millimetre waves and microwaves (2-150 GHz). The main areas are solar millimeter and microwave radiation, variable quasars and active galaxies, and very long baseline interferometry (VLBI).

The research in technology includes development of data acquisition, data processing, receivers and receiving methods. Metsähovi hosts researchers and students especially from the Department of Electronics and Nanoengineering and the Finnish Centre for Astronomy with ESO.

Radio lightcurve of quasar 3C279 observed at Metsähovi Radio Observatory.

Active galaxies

The backbone of Metsähovi's observations are the long-term lightcurves of radio-bright active galaxies at high radio frequencies. Our 37 GHz light curves span four decades for many sources.

Metsähovi Radio Observatory
A radio telescope dedicated for solar observations at Metsähovi Radio Observatory.

Solar research

The Sun is the nearest star and thus a premium target for observations to understand how stars work.

Metsähovi Radio Observatory
Radio telescopes participating in the European VLBI Network.

Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI)

Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) is a technique where radio telescopes all over the world are all observing the same source at the same time at the same frequency, thus operating as one gigantic virtual telescope.

Metsähovi Radio Observatory

Studies and open positions

Metsähovi staff supervise and instruct all kinds of student theses from a wide variety of fields, from mechatronics to software engineering and photography to machine learning. Cross- and multidisciplinary student projects often involve supervising professor from an applicable field, and an instructor from Metsähovi.

If you are interested in applying the tools and skills of your own field in an astronomical project, don't hesitate to contact us at [email protected] to discuss how the project could be realised!

Learn more about Metsähovi Instruments

Metsähovi operates multiple instruments for studying the universe in radio frequencies. In addition to operating and developing radio telescopes and their receivers, Metsähovi also runs extremely accurate atomic clocks and specialized computers for interferometric observations.

metsahovi_milo_saarinen_fi_fi.jpg

Metsähovi's main instruments

Metsähovi operates multiple instruments for studying the universe in radio frequencies. In addition to operating and developing radio telescopes and their receivers, Metsähovi also runs extremely accurate atomic clocks and specialized computers for interferometric observations.

Services
Metsähovi's receiver

Metsähovi's main receivers

The essential feature of a radio astronomy receiver is the capability to detect very weak radio signals as sensitively as possible. In radio telescopes and antennas, the receiver is the central part, doing the actual data collecting.

Services
Metsähovi on map

Coordinates of Metsähovi

The location of a radio observatory needs to be known precisely. The Metsähovi 14-metre radio telescope's coordinates are one of the most accurately known in Finland. In fact, the Finnish coordinates are partly based on measurement done in Metsähovi.

Services

News

Aurora Borealis at Metsähovi Radio Observatory
Press releases, Research & Art Published:

Metsähovi Radio Observatory turns 50 and gets new telescopes

Students helped design and build the new telescopes, which expands the opportunities for multidisciplinary space research and education
Metsähovi 50 years
University Published:

Tähtitiistait event series in autumn 2024

Aalto University's Metsähovi radio observatory turns 50 this year. To mark the anniversary, an open lecture series "Tähtitiistait" will be held in the new Marsio building in autumn 2024. Welcome!
Two images of the black hole M87. A bright orange ring surrounding the black hole.
Research & Art Published:

Scientists reveal new images of a black hole - Proof of a persistent black hole shadow

The Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration has released new images of the supermassive black hole at the centre of the galaxy Messier 87. Researchers from Aalto University and the University of Turku contributed to forming the images from the new observations.
Metsähovi 50 juhlavuosi
Research & Art Published:

50 years of discovery through the measurements made at Metsähovi Radio Observatory

Aalto University’s Metsähovi Radio Observatory has played an important role in the development of Finnish radio astronomy.

Where to find us

Metsähovi observatory area gate

Metsähovi Radio Observatory

Metsähovi Radio Observatory is the only astronomical radio observatory in Finland.
Address: Metsähovintie 114, Kylmälä

Locations

Metsähovi people

Contact details for all people working at the radio observatory.

Metsähovi Radio Observatory
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