Near Ventspils, a city on Baltic Sea, in Irbene there is a 32-meter fully steerable parabolic, centimetre-wave range antenna RT-32 and a 16-meter diameter antenna RT-16. They were taken over by the Latvian Academy of Sciences after withdrawal of the Russian army from Latvia in 1994. On the basis of these antennas and accompanying facilities of the former Space Communication Center, the Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Center (VIRAC) has been established. The main purpose of the VIRAC is to take part in observations of cosmic sources of natural and artificial radiation in order to accumulate observational data for fundamental and practical research programs in radio astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology, geophysics, geodynamics, geodesy, coordinate-time service and other. Currently one of the main VIRAC goals is to become a member of the European VLBI Network (EVN).
See the metal monster. This 32 m in diameter radio antenna was top secret during soviet times, military were spying western satellites with this impressive thingee. Take the excursion inside and outside this monster, it’s worth that, believe me!
(image from www.startlatvia.com)
Get there: next to city Ventspils, go by car, about 3 hours drive from Riga, turn right shortly before Ventspils, go some 10 km and watch for hard-to-spot sign.Pictures, directions, info go here: virac.venta.lv.
Get there: next to city Ventspils, go by car, about 3 hours drive from Riga, turn right shortly before Ventspils, go some 10 km and watch for hard-to-spot sign.Pictures, directions, info go here: virac.venta.lv.
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