About
Outline of the AGARC
The Amanogawa galaxy Astronomy Research Center (AGARC) is an organization to promote astronomical research at Kagoshima University, which operates the 1m optical-infrared telescope at Iriki, Satsumasendai, and the 20m antenna at Iriki, one of the site of VERA, VLBI Exploration for Radio Astrometry of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), in cooperation with NAOJ. In addition, we are conducting various astronomical researches on the Milky Way Galaxy using our own astronomical instruments, various astronomical observation facilities in Japan and abroad, and supercomputers. We are developing the instruments and technologies that form the basis of our research, especially radio and infrared observations and computer simulations.
History of the Center
The Amanogawa Galaxy Astronomy Research Center (AGARC), affiliated with the Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Kagoshima University, was established on January 1, 2019.
Observational Instruments
1m Optical-Infrared Telescope
The 1m Optical-Infrared Telescope is an astronomical observation facility located in Kagoshima University, Faculty of Agriculture, Iriki Farm. It is the largest optical-infrared telescope in Kyushu, and the second largest telescope owned by a university in Japan at the time of its construction, and the seventh largest as of FY2020.
The primary mirror has an outer diameter of 1020mm (effective diameter 1000mm), an aperture ratio of F = 2.5, and a focal length of 2500mm, and the secondary mirror has a diameter of 250mm and a Cassegrain focus of F = 12. The mount is a computer-controlled telescope platform. In addition, it has a Nasmyth focus for observing, which can be used for ocular viewing with eyepieces. The near-infrared 3-color simultaneous imager, “kSIRIUS”, wasdeveloped in FY2022and it was already installed at the Cassegrain focus of the telescope.It is optimized for
observing astronomical objects such as exoplanets and transients.
NAOJ VERA Iriki Observatory
VERA (VLBI Exploration for Radio Astrometry) was established by NAOJ for the VERA project. VERA (VLBI Exploration for Radio Astrometry, Japanese name: Astronomy Wide Area Telescope) is a radio telescope that NAOJ set up in four locations in Japan. One of the telescopes was installed in a corner of Kagoshima University’s Iriki Farm. The antennas of each site have a diameter of 20m, and the mount is a scaffold controlled by a computer. The receiver is mounted on a Cassegrain focus and can observe in five frequency bands from 2.2 GHz to 43 GHz. In recent years, maser emission lines emitted by H2O and SiO molecules in these frequency bands have been the main focus of observations.
The 20m antenna at the Iriki site has been operated jointly with the Mizusawa VLBI Observatory (Mizusawa, Japan) of the NAOJ since before the inauguration of AGARC, based on the collaboration agreement between NAOJ and Kagoshima University. After the inauguration of the AGARC, the Center has been playing a central role in the project.
About the AGARC
Composition of researchers
The AGARC, affiliated with the Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Kagoshima University, consists of faculty members who specialize in astronomy from the School of Science and Engineering, as well as faculty members from the School of Engineering, the School of Medicine and Dentistry, and the School of Integrated Arts and Sciences. The faculty members are divided into registered faculty and cooperating faculty according to their academic areas, but there is no difference in duties between the two.
Members
Faculty Members
The following is a list of the faculty members who make up the AGARC and the academic areas to which they belong. The following is a list of the faculty members and their academic areas.
| Keiichi Wada | Professor, Director, Registered Faculty, Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Hiroshi Imai | Professor, Cooperating Professor, Graduate School of Science and Engineering |
| Hiroko Indoh | Associate Professor, Cooperating Professor, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences |
| Ken-ichi Ohata | Associate Professor, Graduate School of Science and Engineering |
| Reiji Kobayashi | Associate Professor, Research Faculty, Graduate School of Science and Engineering |
| Hiroko Shinnaga | Associate Professor, Research Faculty, Graduate School of Science and Engineering |
| Shigehisa Takakuwa | Professor, Registered Faculty, Deputy Director, Graduate School of Science and Engineering |
| Yusuke Tsukamoto | Assistant Professor, Registered Faculty, Graduate School of Science and Engineering |
| Akiharu Nakagawa | Assistant Professor, Registered Faculty, Graduate School of Science and Engineering |
| Hiroyuki Nakanishi | Associate Professor, Registered Faculty, Graduate School of Science and Engineering |
| Takahiro Nagayama | Associate Professor, Registered Faculty, Graduate School of Science and Engineering |
| Kenjiro Nishikawa | Professor, Registered Faculty, Graduate School of Science and Engineering |
| Hideyuki Majima | Professor, Cooperating Teacher, Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry (until 2019) |
| Toshihiro Handa | Professor, Registered Faculty, Graduate School of Science and Engineering (until 2023) |
Administrative staff
| Aya Imakado | Specially Appointed Staff (from June 2022) |
| Shinobu Fukuda | Specially Appointed Staff (from February 2023) |
Research Staff
| kazuya Saigo | Project Researcher (2022.4 – ) |
| Atsushi Tanimoto | Specially Appointed Assistant Professor (2022.7 – ) |
| Masayuki Yamanaka | Specially Appointed Assistant Professor (2022.11 – ) |
| Sanemichi Takahashi | Specially Appointed Researcher/Fellow (2023.2 – ) |
| Junichi Baba | Associate Professor (2023.4 – ) |
| Daisuke Takaishi | Specially Appointed Assistant Professor (2024.4 – ) |
| Yuki Kudo | Specially Appointed Researcher/Fellow (2020.4 – 2023.3) |
| Yoshiaki Misugi | Project Researcher (2022.7 – 2023.4) |
| Shunsuke Baba | Project Researcher (2021.10 – 2023.12) |
| Haruka Sakemi | Project Researcher (2021.10 – 2024.4) |
| Koki Otaki | Project Researcher (2024.4 – 2024.9 ) |
890-0065 1-21-35 Korimoto, Kagoshima City, Kagoshima ,Japan
Kagoshima University, Graduate School of Science and Engineering
Amanogawa galaxy Astronomy Research Center
E-mail:agarc-adm,sci.kagoshima-u.ac.jp Tel:099-285-8012