Narrabri Stellar Intensity Interferometer

The Narrabri Stellar Intensity Interferometer (NSII) was the first astronomical instrument to measure the diameters of a large number of stars at visible wavelengths. It was designed by (amongst others) Robert Hanbury Brown, who received the Hughes Medal in 1971 for this work. It was built by University of Sydney School of Physics and was located near the town of Narrabri in north-central New South Wales, Australia. Many of the components were constructed in the UK.[1] The design was based on an earlier optical intensity interferometer built by Hanbury Brown and Richard Q. Twiss at Jodrell Bank in the UK.[2] Whilst the original device had a maximum baseline of 10m, the NSII device consisted of a large circular track that allowed the detectors to be separated from 10 to 188m. The NSII operated from 1963 until 1974, and was used to measure the angular diameters of 32 stars.[3]

Narrabri Stellar Intensity Interferometer
Alternative namesNSII
Location(s)New South Wales, AUS
Coordinates30°12′33″S 149°45′04″E
First light1963 Edit this on Wikidata
Decommissioned1974 Edit this on Wikidata
Telescope styleastronomical interferometer
optical telescope Edit this on Wikidata
Narrabri Stellar Intensity Interferometer is located in Australia
Narrabri Stellar Intensity Interferometer
Location of Narrabri Stellar Intensity Interferometer

See also

References
  1. Hanbury), Brown, R. Hanbury (Robert (1991). Boffin : a personal story of the early days of radar, radio astronomy, and quantum optics. Bristol: Adam Hilger. ISBN 0750301309. OCLC 23357612.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. HANBURY BROWN, R.; TWISS, R. Q. (November 1956). "A Test of a New Type of Stellar Interferometer on Sirius". Nature. 178 (4541): 1046–1048. doi:10.1038/1781046a0. ISSN 0028-0836. S2CID 38235692.
  3. Hanbury Brown, R.; Davis, J.; Allen, L. R. (1 April 1974). "The Angular Diameters of 32 Stars". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 167 (1): 121–136. doi:10.1093/mnras/167.1.121. ISSN 0035-8711.
  • The angular diameters of 32 stars, Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. Volume 167 pp 121–136 (1974)
  • Hanbury Brown R, The intensity interferometer – its application to astronomy, Taylor & Francis, 1974


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