LAB LOGA page on LabLog, a review site (not the lab's official page)
Observational Astronomy Lab
Machine-translated · View original
A radio astronomy lab that explores the distant universe with a terahertz telescope in Antarctica.
AboutAbout the lab
Building a telescope in Antarctica to observe the distant universe
The Observational Astronomy Lab studies the structure of the Milky Way, star-forming regions, external galaxies, supermassive black holes, and distant galaxies through telescope observations.
The lab aims to build a 10 m-class terahertz telescope in the interior of Antarctica, the best site on Earth for observation, to observe objects such as distant "dark galaxies" that cannot be seen in visible light.
The lab also uses the ALMA radio interferometer, the Nobeyama 45 m telescope, and the James Webb Space Telescope.
Key terms
- Terahertz waves
- A wavelength range for observing the universe, alongside submillimeter waves and infrared. In the interior of Antarctica, where there is little water vapor, they pass through the atmosphere more easily
- ALMA
- The world's largest radio interferometer, observing at millimeter to submillimeter wavelengths. Its 66 antennas are arranged over an area up to 10 km across
- Molecular gas
- The part of the gas filling a galaxy that is closely involved in star formation. The other part is atomic gas
NewsLab news
A master's student received the Physics Degree Program Leader Award
A master's student received the Meikeikai Award
An undergraduate student received the College of Physics English Award (Score Improvement category)
An undergraduate student received the Best Presentation Award for graduation research
ResearchResearch themes
The Observational Astronomy Lab observes the universe in radio waves, terahertz waves, and other wavelengths to study galaxies, star formation, and supermassive black holes. While advancing a plan to build a telescope in Antarctica, it also uses telescopes such as ALMA and the Nobeyama 45 m telescope.
*Illustrative imageAntarctic Terahertz Telescope Project
The interior of Antarctica has extremely little water vapor, making it the best site on Earth for submillimeter, terahertz, and infrared observations of the universe. Working with institutions such as the National Institute of Polar Research and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, the lab is advancing a plan to install a 10 m-class telescope there.
*Illustrative imageExploring galaxies and the distant universe with ALMA
Using ALMA, which observes at millimeter to submillimeter wavelengths, the lab observes mass accretion onto active galactic nuclei and the formation and evolution of galaxies in the distant universe.
*Illustrative imageObserving gas and star formation in galaxies
Because stars are born from gas, the lab observes molecular gas in spiral galaxies and other galaxies using telescopes such as the Nobeyama 45 m radio telescope. It studies the structure of galaxies, the motion of gas, and active galactic nuclei.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Observational Astronomy Lab are faculty members, visiting faculty members, postdoctoral researchers, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, research students, and administrative assistants.As of 2026
- ProfessorNario Kuno
- Assistant ProfessorTakuya Hashimoto
- Assistant Professor (Tenure Track)Shunsuke Honda
- Assistant Professor (Tenure Track)Yuri Nishimura
VoicesStudent voices
Ratings and reviews reflect the experiences of individual current or former students, not the lab's official views. Whether a lab has reviews, or how many, says nothing about the lab itself.
Students who take part in an interview may receive a thank-you gift worth ¥1,000, regardless of what they say.
Student ratings (0 students)
--
--
--
--
--
--
Student voices answer questions like these
- What's great about this lab?
- What did you learn after joining?
- What's the vibe, and what is the professor like?
- Who is this lab for?
- Where do graduates go?
Your experience can help younger students choose their lab. Your name won't be shown.
Write a lab reviewAnonymous · Your draft is saved if you stopRelatedLabs similar to Observational Astronomy Lab
Theoretical Astrophysics LabSchool of Science and Engineering, College of PhysicsBlack hole accretion disks and jets, supermassive black hole…
Kanda LabSchool of Science and Engineering, College of PhysicsNovel phenomena in mesoscopic systems (submicron to nano sca…
Low-Energy Nuclear Physics Lab (Ozawa Lab)School of Science and Engineering, College of PhysicsThe Ozawa Laboratory uses accelerators to study cosmic nucle…
Plasma Physics Lab (Plasma Research Center)School of Science and Engineering, College of PhysicsPlasma and nuclear fusion research centered on mirror magnet…The information on this page is compiled by the LabLog team from the lab's public information and interviews. For corrections or removal requests, please contact LabLog, not the lab.
Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Eyes on the Skies (beletsky alma 15-cc2)” ESO/Y. Beletsky / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Antarctic Terahertz Telescope Project: “The HEAT telescope (ann14031b)” Craig Kulesa / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Exploring galaxies and the distant universe with ALMA: “ALMA Antennas on Chajnantor” Iztok Bončina/ESO / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Observing gas and star formation in galaxies: “Hubble2005-01-barred-spiral-galaxy-NGC1300” NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team STScI/AURA) / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (宇宙物理理論グループ（宇宙物理理論研究室）
): “NASA Unveils Celestial Fireworks as Official Hubble 25th Anniversary Image” NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), A. Nota (ESA/STScI), and the Westerlund 2 Science Team / Public domain (cropped) - Related lab (低温物理学
（神田研究室） ): “Navaho Dilution Refrigerator” OJB Quantum / CC BY 4.0 (cropped) - Related lab (低エネルギー原子核グループ（小沢研究室）
): “Jefferson Lab Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, in Virginia ( )” doe-oakridge / Public domain (cropped) - Related lab (プラズマ物理グループ（プラズマ研究センター）
): “Experimental hall of the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator at IPP Greifswald 01” Siarhei Besarab / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
About LabLog
LabLog is a lab review app for students only. Student members at each university interview students in labs and publish what they say. Student voices can only be read by students who sign up with a university email address. Operated by bestiee Inc.
Learn more about LabLog ↗Search engines and AI may reference the basic lab info and rating summaries on this page and the description of LabLog. Student voices are for student members only. Automated collection by programs (scraping, or input to or training of AI) is prohibited under Article 8 of the Terms of Service. If you need data for research or analysis, please contact us.