Alomar Observatory
The Alomar Observatory enables international scientists to explore all layers of the Arctic atmosphere with several lidar instruments from its vantage point on top of the Ramnan mountain at Andøya.
The observatory features an iconic and easily recognizable shape designed to minimize the effects of wind to provide an optimum environment for the lidar instrumentation. Some beams can reach over 100 kilometers, and can be tilted several degrees.
The research performed at Alomar has contributed to a substantial number of scientific papers and theses and supported countless sounding rocket missions. While the sounding rockets ensure the in-situ snapshot of the atmosphere, the instruments at Alomar have provided remote sensing of the same area, giving scientists both a closer look and a broader view at the same time.
Current lidar systems
RMR (Rayleigh/Mie/Ramnan), twin lidar 10 – 100 kilometers, wavelengths 1064 / 532 / 355 nm, owned by IAP.
Ozone lidar, looking at the 308 / 353 nm wavelengths in the 8 – 55-kilometer altitude range. Owned by Andøya Space.
Troposphere lidar, a five-channel aerosol backscatter lidar measuring the altitude region between 500 meters and 18 kilometers. It is looking at the 1064 / 523 and 355 nm wavelengths, and it is owned by Andøya Space.
Additional and other instrumentation
Sun and moon photometer, CIMEL (GOA-UVA)
Spectroradiometer (Brewer) and UV-radiometer (GUV) (NILU)
Geomagnetic activity monitors, two magnetometers. (UiT/TGO)
Radiosonde station (Met Office)
Ceilometer (Met Office)
Allsky cameras (IAP, GOA-UVA)
GNSS-receivers (DLR, Norwegian Mapping Authority)
Installation and operation of scientific instrumentation
Does your research or your organization require instrumentation from the atmosphere 69 degrees north? At the Alomar Observatory you have the possibility to install your research instruments, either for a short period of time or years.
Contact Andøya Space Sub-Orbital
Do you have any questions or need to get in touch with Andøya Space Sub-Orbital? Send an e-mail:
Andøya Space Sub-Orbital is a business division of Andøya Space focusing on providing two launch sites and related services for sub-orbital research rockets, in addition to groundbased scientific instrumentation.
Andøya Space Sub-Orbital
Andøya Space
Bleiksveien 46
8480 Andenes
Norway
+47 76 14 00 00
sub-orbital@andoyaspace.no
NO979122721MVA
Alomar Observatory
alomar@andoyaspace.no