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Jodrell Bank Observatory

Coordinates: 53°14′10″N 2°18′26″W / 53.23625°N 2.3071388888889°W / 53.23625; -2.3071388888889
This article is about a World Heritage Site
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Jodrell Bank Observatory
Alternative namesJodrell Bank Experimental Station Edit this at Wikidata
Named afterWilliam Jauderell Edit this on Wikidata
OrganizationUniversity of Manchester Edit this on Wikidata
LocationLower Withington, United Kingdom Edit this at Wikidata
Coordinates53°14′10″N 2°18′26″W / 53.23625°N 2.3071388888889°W / 53.23625; -2.3071388888889
Altitude77 m (253 ft) Edit this at Wikidata
Established1945 Edit this on Wikidata
Websitewww.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk Edit this at Wikidata
Telescopes42ft radio telescope of Jodrell Bank Observatory
7m radio telescope of Jodrell Bank Observatory
Cambridge MERLIN telescope
Darnhall telescope
Defford telescope
Knockin telescope
Lovell Telescope
Mark II
Mark III
Pickmere telescope
Polar Axis telescope
Searchlight Telescope
Transit Telescope
mERLIN Edit this on Wikidata
Jodrell Bank Observatory is located in the United Kingdom
Jodrell Bank Observatory
Location of Jodrell Bank Observatory
Related media on Wikimedia Commons
LocationUnited Kingdom
CriteriaCultural: (i), (ii), (iv), (vi)
Reference1594
Inscription2019 (43rd Session)
Area17.38 ha (42.9 acres)
Buffer zone18,569.22 ha (45,885.5 acres)

The Jodrell Bank Observatory a radio telescope in Cheshire. It picks up radio waves from outer space. Jodrell Bank is mainly used for investigating radio waves from the planets and stars.

It was the idea of its first director, Bernard Lovell, to use radio signals to investigate cosmic rays. Lovell, Professor of Astronomy at Manchester University, had worked on radar in World War II. The observatory was set up in 1945.

It has been used to research meteoroids, quasars, pulsars, masers and gravitational lenses. It was heavily involved in tracking space probes.

The main telescope at the observatory is the Lovell Telescope. It has a diameter of 250 ft (76 m), and is the third largest steerable radio telescope in the world. There are three other active telescopes at the observatory.

The Jodrell Bank Observatory is the base of the Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN), a "National Facility" run by the University of Manchester. What this means is that radio telescopes can work together to form a long baseline to better collect data from an important phenomenon. There are three other active telescopes at the observatory; the Mark II, and 42 ft (13 m) and 7 m diameter radio telescopes.

The telescope discovered radio noise from the Great Nebula in Andromeda—the first definite detection of an extragalactic radio source—and the remains of Tycho's Supernova in the radio frequency. At that time, Tycho's Supervova had not been discovered by regular light telescopes.[1]

References

[change | change source]
  1. "The early history". Jodrell Bank Observatory. Archived from the original on 27 October 2008. Retrieved 22 November 2006.