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Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii

The Hawaii Haleakala Observatory is located at the summit of Haleakala Mountain (3040 m above sea level) on the island of Maui. Through an agreement between Tohoku University’s Center for Planetary Plasma and Atmospheric Research and the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy (IfA), the T40 observatory (with a 40cm aperture Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope Meade LX200GPS-16 inside its own 2.6m observation dome and German equatorial mount ERDE E-400 ), and in September 2014, the T60 Observatory (a 60cm Mitaka-made Cassegrain-Coude reflecting telescope) was installed. The summit of Haleakala offers excellent year-round clear skies and seeing conditions, making it one of the most favorable observing sites in the world for astronomical observations. Both the T60 and T40 telescopes can be remotely accessed via the Internet. The telescope has been equipped with a spectrograph for optical observations of Jupiter’s inner magnetosphere and Mercury’s rarefied sodium atmosphere.

Telescope and instruments

Data

Iitate Observatory

The Iitate observatory consists of two stations: the Jupiter Galaxy Radio Observatory, established in 1992 to observe natural radio waves in the decametre wave band with wavelengths of about 10 meters, and the Optical and Radio Observatory, established in 1998 to conduct optical observations and natural radio wave observations in the metre wave band. The two observatories are about 300 meters apart. The Jupiter Galactic Radio Observatory uses a group of broadband antennas to observe the Jupiter Decametric Array (DAM), which is thought to appear during Jupiter’s auroral phenomena, and the radio waves arriving from the Galactic center. On the other hand, the Optical and Radio Observatory observes radio waves emitted from high-energy electrons in Jupiter’s radiation belts (synchrotron radiation) using the Interplanetary Radio Telescope (IPRT). It also observes radio bursts emitted when plasma in the Sun’s coronal atmosphere accelerates. By analyzing changes in radio wave intensity and spectra from these observations, we are trying to elucidate the acceleration and transport processes of plasma particles around Jupiter and the Sun. Until 2011, the Optical and Radio Observatory has been observing plasma emission phenomena in Jupiter’s inner magnetosphere and other phenomena using a 60cm aperture optical telescope, which was subsequently relocated to Hawaii.

IPRT Data Center

Tohoku Univ. HF antenna systems

Zao Observatory

The Zao Observatory is equipped with a group of antennas to capture faint radio waves from the planets and the Sun, and optical instruments to capture faint atmospheric light emitted from the Earth’s upper atmosphere (80-300 km altitude). The Zao observatory was originally established in Nanokaibara, Zao Town, in 1957 for the International Year of Earth Observation (IGY). However, as the town of Zao developed, the environment surrounding the observatory became unsuitable for observing faint light and radio waves. Therefore, in March 1993, with the cooperation of Zao Town, Zao Dairy Center, and the Forestry Bureau, a new observatory was constructed at the foot of Mt. There are no large buildings within a 2-kilometer radius around the site, making it an ideal location for radio and optical observations, surrounded by forests and pastures.

Tohoku Univ. HF antenna systems

Kawatabi Observatory

By observing radio emissions from Jupiter, we are trying to understand the acceleration and transport processes of plasma particles in Jupiter’s electromagnetic field and the interaction between the satellite Io and Jupiter’s electromagnetic field. It is one of the stations in a network of long-range interferometers that observe Jupiter’s radio emissions.

Tohoku Univ. HF antenna systems

Yoneyama Observatory

The Jupiter Radio Mission (JREM) observes Jupiter’s radio emissions to understand the acceleration and transport processes of plasma particles in Jupiter’s electromagnetic field and the interaction between the satellite Io and Jupiter’s electromagnetic field. It is one of the stations in a network of long-range interferometers that observe Jupiter’s radio emissions.

Tohoku Univ. HF antenna systems

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