Jodrell Bank

The Jodrell Bank Observatory (originally the Jodrell Bank Experimental Station, then the Nuffield Radio Astronomy Laboratories from 1966-1999) is located near Holmes Chapel, Cheshire in the north west of England. The observatory is part of the University of Manchester and has played an important role in the research of quasars and pulsars. In 1979, scientists of Jodrell Bank announced the first detection of a gravitational lens; which confirmed one of Einstein's theories.

General information

The first radio telescope was built in 1947, but the famous "Mark I" telescope, at the time the largest steerable dish radio telescope in the world, 76.2 m (250 ft) in diameter, was constructed in the mid 1950s, becoming operational in the summer of 1957, just in time for the launch of Sputnik 1, the world's first artificial satellite. Jodrell Bank was the only installation in the world able to track Sputnik's booster rocket by radar, and the fame and income this brought in enabled the considerable construction debts to be paid off.

Related Topics:
Radio telescope - 1947 - 76.2 m (250 ft) - 1950s - 1957 - Sputnik 1

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In February 1966, Jodrell Bank tracked the USSR unmanned moon lander Luna 9 and listened in on its facsimile transmission of photographs from the moon's surface. The photos were sent to the British press and published before the Soviets themselves had made the photos public.

Related Topics:
1966 - USSR - Luna 9 - Facsimile

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The Mark I telescope has been updated twice, to allow greater sensitivity and make structural repairs. At the time of its construction in 1957, it was the world's largest fully steerable radio telescope and was only expected to have an operational lifespan of 10 years. It was therefore upgraded in 1970-71 and 2001-2003. In 1987, on its 30th anniversary, the telescope was renamed The Lovell Telescope in Sir Bernard's honour. A second radio telescope, the Mark II, was built at Jodrell Bank in 1964, with a diameter of approximately 25 metres (it's elliptical, not circular), while a third telescope, the Mark III, located some 20 miles away near Nantwich is part of the Jodrell Bank Observatory. Other radio telescopes are also located at the Jodrell Bank Observatory - one which is 42ft (13m) in diameter, and a 7m one which is generally used for undergraduate teaching purposes for students of the University. Webcams of these are available for viewing on the Jodrell Bank webpage.

Related Topics:
1987 - 1964 - Nantwich - University

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Jodrell Bank Observatory is also the base of the Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN), a National Facility run by the University of Manchester on behalf of PPARC.

Related Topics:
Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network - University of Manchester - PPARC

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