Welcome to the Australia Telescope National Facility

CSIRO operates several radio astronomy observatories, telescopes and data archives that are collectively known as the Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF). 

The ATNF is one of the world’s most advanced radio astronomy facilities and offers a powerful view of the southern sky, supporting world-leading research by Australian and international astronomers. Our dedicated staff work across operations, research and technology in radio astronomy.

Three people work on computers

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Submit and view your proposals online using OPAL, the ATNF online proposal system

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Latest news

A dramatic cosmic, nebulous sky of red and blue over three telescope dishes

Most detailed map of the Universe’s hidden magnetic fields released

June 4, 2026

A new map of the Universe’s magnetic fields revealing how galaxies form and evolve is now available.

An illustration showing a large orange sphere on the left and a much smaller bright object on the right, surrounded by dense looping white lines. A glowing, curved blue-green line goes from the large sphere to the smaller object. The background is dark teal with scattered tiny white specks.

‘Rosetta stone’ for a long period transient

June 3, 2026

A white dwarf star system provides a unique natural laboratory for extreme physics.

Abstract painting on a deep blue background, featuring a central pale blue circle with radiating white dotted lines connecting to multiple smaller circular forms. The surrounding circles vary in size and colour, with concentric dot patterns, creating a starburst-like composition across the canvas.

Congratulations FLASH

May 14, 2026

FLASH has been observing the Universe as it was 4 to 8 billion years ago and was illustrated by Wajarri artist Agnes Boddington. Download the poster!

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Four radio telescope dishes

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