Moon watching has begun

Patrik talks about LIDAR

The start of the ”Moon watch” project was celebrated on the roof of the Ecology Building Friday 9 September. A group of ca 30 interested students, scientists and personnel visited the event, which started by a short walk to the Atomic Physics Department where Patrik Lundin and Mikkel Brydegaard demonstrated the Florescence LIDAR and the principles behind optic remote detection of insects and birds.










Thereafter the group joined the rest of the team on the roof of the Ecology Building where the tracking radar was demonstrated by Johan Bäckman and hotdogs and drinks were served to the interested audience.

Johan demonstrates the radar

Some clouds were covering the moon, but now and then the moon could be observed by telescopes and successfully at least one bird passing the moon was detected.

Waiting for the moon to show

Apart from that a few echoes of migrating songbirds, including a common swift was recorded by the tracking radar, confirming that migration was taking action. In the end of the evening the sky over LTH was filled with fireworks (as if ordered for the event…) making a very memorable exclamation to the first night of the moon watch project. 

The radar "saw" a lot more birds than we did this night

The CAnMove personnel lead by Helena and Johan made the evening a very pleasant and exciting event! Thank you!

Susanne