Editorial

Welcome to the June 2006 edition of the ATNF News.

This issue is again filled with articles and news items on activities happening at the ATNF. Thank you to all our contributors!

Our cover article, from Warwick Wilson, Erik Muller and Dick Ferris, is about the installation of and first light observations with MOPS, the new frequency-agile, wideband spectrometer for the Mopra telescope. This issue also reports on the first light from the NTD antennas and other NTD, xNTD and SKA news.

As usual we have several science articles. Sarah Maddison and her collaborators contribute new insights into grain growth in proto-planetary disks. There is, once again, exciting news about pulsars, magnetars and RRATs, as presented by Dick Manchester. Compact Array results of another interesting variable radio-emitting source, the newly discovered "Z" source J1701-462, is described by Rob Fender et. al.

In other news, information about the ATNF Spectral Analysis Package (ASAP) is brought to you by Chris Phillips and Malte Marquarding. Dave McConnell introduces to you the new Narrabri Officer-in-Charge, Phil Edwards. The regular Observatory reports include Phil's first contribution for the Compact Array and Mopra.

Dave Jauncey has contributed a news item about the 2006 Grote Reber Gold Medal being awarded to one of the great pioneers of radio astronomy, Bernie Mills. Sadly, we also report the passing of one of the greats of the CSIRO and radio astronomy in general, Jon Ables.

Note that registration is open for the Narrabri Synthesis Imaging School; for details see Ilana Klamer's news item.

We hope you enjoy the newsletter! As always your comments and suggestions are welcome. The web version of this and previous issues can be found at www.atnf.csiro.au/news/newsletter .

Michael Dahlem, Jessica Chapman and Joanne Houldsworth
The ATNF Newsletter Production Team
(newsletter@atnf.csiro.au)