We have a fantastic opportunity for high school students to control the 64m Parkes radio telescope, the Dish. PULSE@Parkes is an innovative, free program run by CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science in which school groups use the Dish to observe pulsars in real time.

During a two-hour observing session students work in small groups. They select a few target pulsars from the project catalogue, making sure that the pulsars are currently visible in the sky above Parkes. Then they drive the telescope remotely using the same software that professional astronomer use. Students observe a pular for a few minutes then use the data to determine the distance to it using an online module.

We’ve had over 900 students from across Australia and overseas control the Dish to date and are now looking for more schools to take part. The program is open to students in Years 10 -12.

There are four observing slots available:

• 25 June
• 18 July
• 24 July
• 9 August

For more details and online application form visit the project website. Please encourage your school to apply for a slot. Applications close Monday 25 March.

Anyone can join one of our sessions by following us on Twitter: @PULSEatParkes. You can also view our live  Parkes Pulsar Data Monitor during sessions in your web browser. It includes a webcam view of the Dish. Our next sessions are 10.30 -13.00 AEDT Friday 22 March and 11.00 – 13.00 AEDT on Monday 25 March.