The international LOFAR telescope (ILT)

LOFAR, the Low Frequency Array, is a next generation radio telescope designed by ASTRON, with antenna stations located in the north of the Netherlands and across Europe. A total of 40 LOFAR stations are nearing completion in the Netherlands; the closest ones in the core area are nearly adjacent, and they then range up to distances of 80 km. A further 8 international stations are being deployed in Germany, France, Sweden, and the UK, on distances up to 1000 km. Plans for more LOFAR stations exist in several other countries in Europe. Utilizing a novel, phased-array design, LOFAR is optimized for the largely unexplored low frequency range between 30 and 240 MHz. Digital beam-forming techniques make the LOFAR system agile and allow for rapid repointing of the telescopes as well as the potential for multiple simultaneous observations. Processing (e.g. cross-correlation) of the station data takes place in the LOFAR BlueGene/P supercomputer, and associated post-processing facilities. With its dense core array and long interferometric baselines, LOFAR is gearing up to reach unparalleled sensitivity and spatial resolution in the low frequency radio regime. In this paper, we will summarize both some of the most recent data calibration achievements, and some of the exciting astronomical results that are being produced at an accelerating pace in recent weeks and months, as the observatory is gearing up for survey-style operations in the upcoming winter season.