The Sun provides the basic necessities of life, and is the key to understanding numerous topics, from the Northern Lights to climate change. In the long run,it will determine the fate of our planet. But how can we access the information it provides?
Take a peek behind the scenes in Kirkkonummi: Metsähovi Radio Observatory is the only one of its kind in Finland and one of the few in the world. Its special feature is that it enables us to see the universe at radio frequencies normally invisible to the human eye. One of its primary areas of study is our closest star – the Sun.
With the help of enormous radio telescopes, observatories like Metsähovi collect and transform radio waves from space into data and, ultimately, understanding. By observing radio waves, we can see changes in the Sun’s surface layers and use them to predict the Northern Lights. Charting the Sun’s long-term variability also helps us understand our role as humans in global warming.
Metsähovi Radio Observatory is the only astronomical radio observatory in Finland. Metsähovi’s main instrument is the 14-metre radio telescope, which is used around the clock, every day of the year. Its observational data is used, e.g., for studying active galaxies, the Sun, and the rotation of the Earth.
Director Joni Tammi (ELEC)
Workshop master Kjetil Holmberg (ELEC)
Laboratory engineer Ari Mujunen (ELEC)
Alvar Winquist (Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan)
Metsähovi Radio Observatory team
Earth-Space Research Ecosystem
Metsähovi Radio Observatory is mainly funded by the Aalto University, with recent major infrastructure upgrades funded by the Research Council of Finland, Weisell Foundation, and Magnus Ehrnrooth Foundation.
Visit Designs for a Cooler Planet festival in Otaniemi on 6 Sep – 3 Oct 2024 to challenge your perception of the possible.
