Welcome to the Homepage of the Astronomy Research Group at the Open University. The Astronomy Research Group is one of seven groups forming the Centre for Earth, Planetary, Space and Astronomical Research. This is one of five Centres for Strategic Research Investment set up by the Open University.
We have a programme of observational, theoretical, laboratory based and mission based astronomy research, focussing on all four of the key science questions of European astronomy and supported by STFC.
The Group is a member of the UK SALT Consortium, which owns a 5% share in the 10m Southern African Large Telescope. We are also a partner in the SuperWASP consortium which operates two robotic sky-patrol camera systems (one in La Palma, one at Sutherland Observatory). Members of our group serve on the science teams for the 2009 ESA GENIE and the 2015 DARWIN missions, and are members of the guaranteed time consortia of the 2006 Japanese Akari infrared survey mission and the 2009 Herschel SPIRE instrument. We also coordinate an EU Network in Astrobiology. We are also coinvestigators in the future Japan/ESA SPICA mission and the forthcoming UK LOFAR Consortium.
The activities of the Astronomy Research Group fall into five broad areas, with deliberate and substantial overlap:
