An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

A low frequency radio telescope network concentrated in the Netherlands with extensions into other European countries. It consists of a core and an extended → array in the Netherlands as well as in surrounding European countries with maximum → baselines of 2 km, 100 km, and 1,000 km respectively. LOFAR will be the largest radio telescope ever built, using a new concept based on a vast array of simple omni-directional antennas. The array will operate at the lowest frequencies that can be observed from Earth, at 30-250 MHz.
About 75% of the construction is finished and LOFAR has already started
its → commissioning period. When entirely finished, it will consist of 45,000 small antennas, distributed within 48 stations in the north east of the Netherlands,
nearby parts of Germany, the UK, France, Sweden, and perhaps later Poland and Spain.
The extensions in the United Kingdom, Germany, and France are completed.
The French extension, located in the Nançay station of Paris Observatory (190 km south of Paris), is fully operational since December 2010. Moreover, a project to extend the low-frequency component of the Nançay station is under study. LOFAR is a forerunner of the future → Square Kilometer Array (SKA) project. See also the LOFAR homepage.

See also: LOFAR, short for → LOw; → Frequency; → ARray.