Jodrell Bank Observatory
The 76 m Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory. The Lovell Telescope is a Radio telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory, near Goostrey, Cheshire in the north-west of England
Organization	University of Manchester
Location	Borough of Macclesfield, Cheshire, England
Coordinates	53°14′10.5″N, 2°18′25.7″W
Altitude	77 m
Established	1945
Website www.jb.man.ac.uk
Telescopes Lovell Telescope 76 m prime focus Mark II 38. The University of Manchester is a " red brick " civic University located in Manchester, England. For the principal settlement of this borough see Macclesfield. Cheshire (or archaically the County of Chester) is a county in North West England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The Lovell Telescope is a Radio telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory, near Goostrey, Cheshire in the north-west of England A reflecting telescope (also called a reflector) is an Optical telescope which uses a single or combination of Curved mirrors that reflect Light 1x25. 4 m cassegrain 42 ft 13 m prime focus Undergraduate 7 m prime focus

The Jodrell Bank Observatory (originally the Jodrell Bank Experimental Station, then the Nuffield Radio Astronomy Laboratories from 1966 to 1999) is an observatory that hosts a number of radio telescopes, and is part of the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Manchester. The Cassegrain reflector is a combination of two coaxial reflectors used in Cassegrain telescopes and radio antennas First developed in 1672 by Laurent Cassegrain An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial and/or celestial events A radio telescope is a form of directional Radio antenna used in Radio astronomy and in tracking and collecting data from Satellites The Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, at the University of Manchester, UK, consists of the Jodrell Bank Observatory and the academics based in the The University of Manchester is a " red brick " civic University located in Manchester, England. It is located near Goostrey and Holmes Chapel in the Borough of Macclesfield, Cheshire in the north-west of England. Goostrey is an old farming village and Civil parish within the Congleton borough of Cheshire, England. Known formerly as Church Hulme Holmes Chapel is a Village in central Cheshire, in Congleton borough For the principal settlement of this borough see Macclesfield. Cheshire (or archaically the County of Chester) is a county in North West England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland

The main telescope at the observatory is the Lovell Telescope, which is the third largest steerable radio telescope in the world. The Lovell Telescope is a Radio telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory, near Goostrey, Cheshire in the north-west of England There are three other active telescopes located at the observatory; the Mark II, as well as 42 ft and 7 m diameter radio telescopes. 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 the Science and Technology Facilities Council. The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network ( MERLIN) is an Interferometer array of Radio telescopes spread across England and the The University of Manchester is a " red brick " civic University located in Manchester, England. The Science and Technology Facilities Council is a UK government body that carries out civil research in Science and Engineering, and funds UK research

The observatory was established in 1945 by Sir Bernard Lovell, who wanted to investigate cosmic rays after his work on radar in the Second World War. Sir Alfred Charles Bernard Lovell - better known as Sir Bernard Lovell OBE PhD FRS (born 31 August 1913) is an English For the 1962 Bruce Conner film see Cosmic Ray (film Cosmic rays are energetic particles originating from space that impinge on Radar is a system that uses electromagnetic waves to identify the range altitude direction or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as Aircraft, ships World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including It has since played an important role in the research of meteors, quasars, pulsars, masers and gravitational lenses, and was heavily involved with the tracking of space probes at the start of the Space Age. A quasar (contraction of QUASi-stellAR radio source) is an extremely powerful and distant Active galactic nucleus. Pulsars are highly magnetized rotating Neutron stars that emit a beam of Electromagnetic radiation in the form of radio waves An astrophysical maser is a naturally occurring source of stimulated Spectral line emission typically in the Microwave portion of the Electromagnetic A gravitational lens is formed when the light from a very distant bright source (such as a Quasar) is "bent" around a massive object (such as a cluster of A space probe is a scientific Space exploration mission in which a Robotic spacecraft leaves the Gravity well of Earth and approaches the The Space Age is a contemporary period encompassing the activities related to the Space Race, Space exploration, space technology and the cultural developments

As of March 2008, the future of the facility is uncertain due to the possible withdrawal of Government funding (see threat of closure).

Early years

Observations at Jodrell Bank in 1945.

See also: Timeline of Jodrell Bank Observatory

Jodrell Bank was first used for academic purposes in 1939 when the University of Manchester's horticultural botany department purchased three fields at the site. This is a Timeline of Jodrell Bank Observatory. 1930s 1939 – Jodrell Bank site purchased by the University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a " red brick " civic University located in Manchester, England. Horticulture is the art and science of plant cultivation Horticulturists (or horticuluralists) work and conduct research in the fields of Plant propagation Botany, plant science(s, phytology, or plant biology is a branch of Biology and is the scientific study of plant Life The name of the site came from a nearby ground rise called Jodrell Bank, which was named after the descendants of William Jauderell who lived in a mansion that is now Terra Nova School. William Jauderell was an archer in the English armies in Wales of Edward the Black Prince in the 14th Century. A mansion is a large dwelling House. The word itself derives (through Old French) from the Latin word mansus (the perfect passive participle The site was extended in 1952 by the purchase of a farm from a local farmer, George Massey. The new land included the site upon which the Lovell Telescope was sited. The Lovell Telescope is a Radio telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory, near Goostrey, Cheshire in the north-west of England ^[1]

The first use of the site for astrophysics was in 1945, when Bernard Lovell wished to use some equipment left over from World War II, including a gun laying radar to investigate cosmic rays. Astrophysics is the branch of Astronomy that deals with the Physics of the Universe, including the physical properties ( Luminosity, World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Gun laying is the process of aiming an Artillery piece The term is also applied to describe the process of aiming smaller calibre weapons by radar or computer control Radar is a system that uses electromagnetic waves to identify the range altitude direction or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as Aircraft, ships For the 1962 Bruce Conner film see Cosmic Ray (film Cosmic rays are energetic particles originating from space that impinge on ^[2] The equipment he was using was a GL II radar system working at a wavelength of 4. 2 m, provided by J. S. Hey. ^[3][4] He originally intended to use the equipment in Manchester, however electrical interference from the trams that then ran down Oxford Road prevented him from doing so. In physics interference is the addition ( superposition) of two or more Waves that result in a new wave pattern Wilmslow Road is a major thoroughfare in South Manchester, England running from Parrs Wood to Manchester City Centre. Consequently, he moved the equipment to Jodrell Bank, 25 miles (40 km) south of the city on 10 December 1945. Events 1041 - Empress Zoe of Byzantium elevates her adoptive son to the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire as Michael V Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar ^[4][5] Lovell's main topic of research at the time were transient radio echoes, which he confirmed were from ionized meteor trails by October 1946. Ionization is the physical process of converting an Atom or Molecule into an Ion by adding or removing charged particles such as Electrons ^[6] Coincidentally, the first time he turned the radar on at Jodrell Bank--the 14 December 1945--the Geminids meteor shower was at a maximum. Events 1287 - St Lucia's flood: The Zuider Zee sea wall in the Netherlands collapses killing over 50000 people Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar The Geminids are a Meteor shower caused by an object named 3200 Phaethon, which is thought to be an extinct Comet. A meteor shower, some of which are known as a "meteor storm" or "meteor outburst" is a celestial event where a group of meteors are observed to radiate from one point ^[5]

Over the next few years, he accumulated more ex-military radio hardware, including a portable cabin, commonly known as a "Park Royal" in the military. The first permanent building on the site was located near to this cabin, and was named after it. ^[6]

Searchlight telescope

A searchlight was loaned to Jodrell Bank in 1946 by the Army;^[7] a broadside array was constructed on the mount of this searchlight by J. A searchlight is an apparatus with Reflectors for projecting a powerful beam of Light of approximately parallel rays in a particular The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. Clegg,^[7] consisting of a number of Yagi antennae. A Yagi-Uda Antenna, commonly known simply as a Yagi antenna or Yagi, is a Directional antenna system consisting of an array of a dipole ^[8] This was first used for astronomical observations in October 1946. ^[9]

On 9 and 10 October 1946, the telescope was used to observe the ionisation in the atmosphere caused by meteors in the Giacobinids meteor shower. Events 680 - Battle of Karbala: Shia Imam Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is decapitated Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Ionization is the physical process of converting an Atom or Molecule into an Ion by adding or removing charged particles such as Electrons The Giacobinids (also known as the Draconids) are a Meteor shower whose parent body is the periodic Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. When the antenna was turned by 90 degrees at the maximum of the shower, the number of detections dropped to the background level, proving that the transient signals detected by radar were indeed from meteors. ^[8] Shortly after this, the telescope was used to determine the radiant points for meteors. This was possible as the echo rate is at a minimum at the radiant point, and a maximum at 90 degrees to it. ^[7] The telescope, as well as other receivers on the site, was also used to study auroral streamers that were visible at the site in early August 1947. ^[10][11]

Transit Telescope

The Transit Telescope was a 218 ft parabolic reflecting aerial built at Jodrell Bank in 1947. In Mathematics, the parabola (pəˈræbələ from the Greek παραβολή) is a Conic section, the intersection of a right circular An antenna is a Transducer designed to transmit or Receive electromagnetic waves In other words antennas convert electromagnetic waves into At the time, it was the largest radio telescope in the world. A radio telescope is a form of directional Radio antenna used in Radio astronomy and in tracking and collecting data from Satellites It consisted of a wire mesh suspended from a ring of 24 ft scaffold poles, which focussed radio signals to a focal point 126 ft above the ground. Scaffolding is a temporary framework used to support people and material in the construction or repair of buildings and other large structures In Geometrical optics, a focus, also called an image point, is the point where Light rays originating from a point on the object converge. The telescope mainly looked directly upwards, but the direction of the beam could be changed by small amounts by tilting the mast to change the position of the focal point. The focal mast was originally going to be wood, but this was changed to a steel mast before construction was complete. ^[12] The telescope was replaced by the fully-steerable, 250 ft Lovell Telescope, and the Mark II telescope was subsequently built on the same location. The Lovell Telescope is a Radio telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory, near Goostrey, Cheshire in the north-west of England

The telescope was able to map a ± 15 degree strip around the zenith at 72 and 160MHz, with a resolution at 160MHz of 1 degree. ^[13] It was used to discover 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 the time it had not been discovered by optical astronomy. The Andromeda Galaxy (ænˈdrɒmədə also known as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224; often referred to as the Great Andromeda Andromeda ( is a Constellation named for the princess Andromeda ( Greek Ανδρομέδη = guardian of the men) a character in SN 1572 ( Tycho's Supernova, Tycho's Nova) "B Cassiopeiae" (B Cas or 3C 10 was a Supernova of Type Ia in the ^[14]

Lovell Telescope

The Lovell Telescope. The Lovell Telescope is a Radio telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory, near Goostrey, Cheshire in the north-west of England

Main article: Lovell Telescope

The famous "Mark I" telescope, now known as the Lovell Telescope, was the largest steerable dish radio telescope in the world, 76. The Lovell Telescope is a Radio telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory, near Goostrey, Cheshire in the north-west of England The Lovell Telescope is a Radio telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory, near Goostrey, Cheshire in the north-west of England 2 m (250 ft) in diameter, when it was completed in 1957;^[15] it is now the third largest, after the Green Bank and Effelsberg telescopes. The Robert C Byrd Green Bank Telescope ( GBT) is the world's largest fully steerable Radio telescope and the world's largest land-based movable structure Since its inauguration in 1972, the Effelsberg 100-m Radio telescope is one of the world's largest fully steerable telescopes ^[16] Part of the gun turret mechanisms from the battleships HMS Revenge and Royal Sovereign were reused in the motor system for the telescope. Deployment Revenge was present at the Battle of Jutland, where she was under the command of Captain E Second World War At the outset of war in September 1939 Royal Sovereign was with the Home Fleet. ^[17] The telescope became operational in the summer of 1957, just in time for the launch of Sputnik 1, the world's first artificial satellite. Sputnik 1 ( "Спутник-1", "Satellite-1" ПС-1 ( PS-1, i The telescope was the only one in the world able to track Sputnik's booster rocket by radar; it first located it just before midnight on 12 October 1957. Events 539 BC - The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon. Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) ^[18][19]

In the following years, the telescope was used to track a variety of space probes. Between 11 March and 12 June 1960, it tracked the Pioneer 5 probe. Events 1425 BC - Thutmose III, Pharaoh of Egypt, dies (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th Dynasty Events 1381 - Peasants' Revolt: in England, rebels arrive at Blackheath. Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Pioneer 5 (also known as 1960 Alpha 1, Pioneer V, Pioneer P-2, and Thor Able 4) was a spin-stabilized space probe in the NASA The telescope was also used to send commands to the probe, including the one to separate the probe from its carrier rocket and the ones to turn on the more powerful transmitter when the probe was eight million miles away. It also received data from the probe, being the only telescope in the world capable of doing so at the time. ^[20] 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 Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Sources Fax (short for facsimile, from Latin fac simile, "make similar" i The photos were sent to the British press and published before the Soviets themselves had made the photos public. ^[21]

Despite the publicity surrounding the telescope's tracking of space probes, this only took up a fraction of its observing time, with the remainder used for scientific observations. These include using radar to measure the distance to the Moon and to Venus;^[22][23] observations of astrophysical masers around star-forming regions and giant stars;^[24] observations of pulsars (including the discovery of millisecond pulsars^[25] and the first pulsar in a globular cluster);^[26] observations of quasars and gravitational lenses (including the detection of the first gravitational lens^[27] and the first einstein ring). Radar is a system that uses electromagnetic waves to identify the range altitude direction or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as Aircraft, ships The VENUS ( V ictoria E xperimental N etwork U nder the S ea project is a cabled sea floor observatory operated by the University An astrophysical maser is a naturally occurring source of stimulated Spectral line emission typically in the Microwave portion of the Electromagnetic Star Formation is the process by which dense parts of Molecular clouds collapse into a ball of plasma to form a Star. Pulsars are highly magnetized rotating Neutron stars that emit a beam of Electromagnetic radiation in the form of radio waves A quasar (contraction of QUASi-stellAR radio source) is an extremely powerful and distant Active galactic nucleus. A gravitational lens is formed when the light from a very distant bright source (such as a Quasar) is "bent" around a massive object (such as a cluster of In observational Astronomy an Einstein ring is the deformation of the light from a source (such as a Galaxy or Star) into a ring through Gravitational ^[28] The telescope has also been used for SETI observations. Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence ( SETI) is the collective name for a number of activities to detect intelligent Extraterrestrial life. ^[29]

Mark II and III telescopes

The Mark II

Main articles: Mark II and Mark III (radio telescope)

The Mark II is an elliptical radio telescope, with a major axis 125 ft (38. The Mark III was a portable and fully steerable Radio telescope located at Wardle, near Nantwich, Cheshire in the north-west of England 1 m) and a minor axis of 83 ft 4 in (25. 4 m). It was constructed in 1964. Aside from operating as a standalone telescope, it has also been used as an interferometer with the Lovell Telescope^[30], and is now primarily used as part of MERLIN (see below). The Lovell Telescope is a Radio telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory, near Goostrey, Cheshire in the north-west of England The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network ( MERLIN) is an Interferometer array of Radio telescopes spread across England and the ^[31]

The Mark III telescope was the same size as the Mark II, but was constructed to be transportable. The Mark III was a portable and fully steerable Radio telescope located at Wardle, near Nantwich, Cheshire in the north-west of England ^[32] However, it was never moved, and remained at its original site in Wardle, near Nantwich, where it was used as part of MERLIN. Wardle is a village (at SJ 610 570 and Civil parish in the Crewe and Nantwich district of Cheshire, England. Nantwich is a market town in south Cheshire, England, in the Borough and parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich. The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network ( MERLIN) is an Interferometer array of Radio telescopes spread across England and the It was built in 1966, and was decommissioned in 1996. ^[33]

Mark IV, V and VA telescopes

A model of the proposed Mark V radio telescope.

The Mark IV, V and VA telescopes were three proposals that were put forward in the 1960s through to the 1980s to build an even larger radio telescope than the Lovell. The Mark IV would have been a 1,000 ft (305 m) diameter standalone telescope, built as a national project. The Mark V would have been a 400 ft (122 m) moveable telescope. The original concept of this telescope had it located on a 3/4 mile long railway line adjoining Jodrell Bank, however concerns about the future levels of interference meant that a site in Wales would have been used (the preferred site was near Meifod). Meifod ( is a small Village 7 miles north-west of Welshpool in Powys, Mid Wales, on the A495 road and located in the valley Several design proposals were put forward, one by Husband and Co. , the other by Freeman Fox, who had designed the Parkes Observatory telescope. The Parkes Observatory is a Radio telescope observatory 20 kilometres north of the town of Parkes, New South Wales, Australia. The Mark VA followed on from the Mark V, but with a smaller dish of 375 ft (114 m) and a design using prestressed concrete, similar to the Mark II (the previous two designs more closely resembled the Lovell telescope). Prestressed concrete is a method for overcoming the Concrete 's natural weakness in tension. ^[34]

None of the three telescopes were constructed, although several design studies were carried out and some scale models were made. This was due partly due to the political climate at the time (including the transition from a Labour Party government under Harold Wilson to a Conservative Party one under Margaret Thatcher), and partly to the financial constraints of astronomical research in the UK at the time. The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the James Harold Wilson Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, PC (11 March 1916 &ndash 24 May 1995 was one of the most prominent British politicians The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Margaret Hilda Thatcher Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS (born 13 October 1925 Also, at a vital time, it became necessary to upgrade the Lovell Telescope to the Mark IA, which subsequently overran in terms of cost. The Lovell Telescope is a Radio telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory, near Goostrey, Cheshire in the north-west of England ^[34]

Other single dishes

Undergraduate teaching telescope, with the Lovell telescope in the background

A 50 ft (15 m) alt-azimuth dish was also in use on the site; this was built in 1964. In addition to astronomical research, it was used to track the Zond 1, Zond 2, Ranger 6 and Ranger 7 space probes,^[35] and also Apollo 11. Zond 1 was a member of the Soviet Zond program. It was the second Soviet research spacecraft to successfully reach Venus although communications had failed by that time Zond 2, a member of the Soviet Zond program, was the fifth Soviet spacecraft to attempt a flyby of Mars Spacecraft design Rangers 6 7, 8, and 9 were the so-called Block 3 versions of the Ranger spacecraft Ranger 7 was designed to achieve a lunar impact trajectory and to transmit high-resolution photographs of the lunar surface during the final minutes of flight up to impact ^[36] The 50 ft telescope was demolished in 1982, when it was replaced with a more accurate telescope named the "42ft" following an accident that irreparably damaged the 50 ft telescope's surface. The 42 ft (12. 8 m) dish is mainly used for observations of pulsars, and is normally continually monitoring the Crab Pulsar. The Crab Pulsar (PSR B0531+21 is a relatively young Neutron star. ^[37]

At the same time as the 42ft was installed, a smaller dish called the "7m" (actually 6. 4m, or 21ft, in diameter) was installed and is now used for undergraduate teaching. Both the 42ft and 7m telescopes were originally used at the Woomera Rocket Testing Range in Australia. Woomera Prohibited Area (WPA is a weapons-testing range located in central South Australia, with its south-eastern corner located approximately north north-west of Adelaide For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. ^[38] The 7m was originally constructed in 1970 by Marconi. ^[39]

A Polar Axis telescope was built on at Jodrell Bank in 1962. This had a circular 50 ft (15. 2 m) dish on a polar mount,^[40] and was mostly used for moon radar experiments. A polar mount is a piece of equipment installed onto a telescope or satellite dish mount so that geostationary satellites can be accessed by swinging the satellite dish along a single arc It has since been decommissioned. There has also been an optical telescope at the observatory; an 18 inch reflecting optical telescope was donated to the observatory in 1951. ^[41] However, this telescope was not used much, and was in turn donated to the Salford Astronomical Society around 1971. ^[42]

MERLIN

Main article: MERLIN

The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) is an array of radio telescopes spread across England and the Welsh borders. The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network ( MERLIN) is an Interferometer array of Radio telescopes spread across England and the Interferometry is the technique of using the pattern of Interference created by the superposition of two or more Waves to diagnose the properties of A radio telescope is a form of directional Radio antenna used in Radio astronomy and in tracking and collecting data from Satellites England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The array is run from Jodrell Bank on behalf of the Science and Technology Facilities Council as a National Facility. The Science and Technology Facilities Council is a UK government body that carries out civil research in Science and Engineering, and funds UK research ^[43] The array consists of up to seven radio telescopes and includes the Lovell Telescope, Mark II, Cambridge, Defford, Knockin, Darnhall and Pickmere (previously known as Tabley). A radio telescope is a form of directional Radio antenna used in Radio astronomy and in tracking and collecting data from Satellites The Lovell Telescope is a Radio telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory, near Goostrey, Cheshire in the north-west of England Knockin is a village and Civil parish located on the B4396 in Shropshire, England. The longest baseline is therefore 135 mi (217km) and MERLIN can operate at frequencies between 151 MHz and 24 GHz. Frequency is a measure of the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit Time. The hertz (symbol Hz) is a measure of Frequency, informally defined as the number of events occurring per Second. The hertz (symbol Hz) is a measure of Frequency, informally defined as the number of events occurring per Second. ^[33] At a wavelength of 6 cm (5 GHz frequency), MERLIN has a resolution of 40 milliarcseconds which is comparable to that of the HST at optical wavelengths. In Physics wavelength is the distance between repeating units of a propagating Wave of a given Frequency. A minute of arc, arcminute, or MOA is a unit of angular measurement, equal to one sixtieth (1/60 of one degree. The Hubble Space Telescope ( HST; also known colloquially as "the Hubble" or just "Hubble" is a space telescope that was carried into ^[44]

Very Long Baseline Interferometry

Main articles: European VLBI Network and Very Long Baseline Interferometry

Jodrell Bank has been involved with Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) since the late 1960s; the Lovell telescope took part in the first transatlantic interferometer experiment in 1968, with other telescopes being those at Algonquin and Penticton in Canada. The European VLBI Network (EVN was formed in 1980 by a consortium of five of the major radio astronomy institutes in Europe (the European Consortium for VLBI Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI is a type of astronomical interferometry used in Radio astronomy. Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI is a type of astronomical interferometry used in Radio astronomy. The Algonquin Radio Observatory (ARO is a Radio telescope Research facility located in the Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada The Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory is a Research facility located south-west of Penticton British Columbia, Canada. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page ^[45] The Lovell Telescope and the Mark II telescopes are regularly used for VLBI with telescopes across Europe (the European VLBI Network), giving a resolution of around 0. The European VLBI Network (EVN was formed in 1980 by a consortium of five of the major radio astronomy institutes in Europe (the European Consortium for VLBI 001 arcseconds. A minute of arc, arcminute, or MOA is a unit of angular measurement, equal to one sixtieth (1/60 of one degree. ^[30]

Research

Main article: Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics

The Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, of which the Observatory is a part, is one of the largest astrophysics research groups in the UK. The Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, at the University of Manchester, UK, consists of the Jodrell Bank Observatory and the academics based in the ^[46] Naturally, the main focus of the group is radio astronomy — including research into pulsars, the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation, gravitational lenses, active galaxies and astrophysical masers. Pulsars are highly magnetized rotating Neutron stars that emit a beam of Electromagnetic radiation in the form of radio waves A gravitational lens is formed when the light from a very distant bright source (such as a Quasar) is "bent" around a massive object (such as a cluster of An active galactic nucleus ( AGN) is a compact region at the centre of a Galaxy which has a much higher than normal luminosity over some or all of the Electromagnetic An astrophysical maser is a naturally occurring source of stimulated Spectral line emission typically in the Microwave portion of the Electromagnetic The group also carries out research at different wavelengths, looking into star formation and evolution, planetary nebulae and astrochemistry. Star Formation is the process by which dense parts of Molecular clouds collapse into a ball of plasma to form a Star. A planetary nebula is an Emission nebula consisting of a glowing shell of Gas and plasma formed by certain types of Stars when they die Astrochemistry is the study of the Chemical elements found in outer space generally on larger scales than the Solar System, particularly in molecular gas clouds ^[47]

The first director of Jodrell Bank was Bernard Lovell, who established the observatory in 1945. Sir Alfred Charles Bernard Lovell - better known as Sir Bernard Lovell OBE PhD FRS (born 31 August 1913) is an English He was succeeded in 1980 by Sir Francis Graham-Smith, followed by Professor Rod Davies around 1990 and Professor Andrew Lyne in 1999. Sir Francis Graham Smith (born April 25, 1923) is a British Astronomer. Prof Rod Davies CBE is a Professor of Radio Astronomy at Jodrell Bank Observatory Andrew G Lyne FRS (born 1942 is a British Physicist. Lyne is Langworthy Professor of Physics in the School of Physics and Astronomy University of ^[48] The current director is Professor Phil Diamond, who took over the role on 1 October 2006. Phil Diamond is a Professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Manchester, and since 1 October 2006 he is the director of Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

There is also an active development program researching and constructing telescope receivers and instrumentation. The observatory has been involved in the construction of several Cosmic Microwave Background experiments, including the Tenerife Experiment, which ran from the 1980s to 2000, and the amplifiers and cryostats for the Very Small Array. The Tenerife Experiment was a Cosmic Microwave Background CMB experiment built by Jodrell Bank of the University of Manchester and in collaboration with the Instituto The Very Small Array is a 14-element interferometric radio telescope operating between 26 and 36 GHz that is used to study the Cosmic microwave background radiation ^[49] It has also constructed the front-end modules of the 30 and 44GHz receivers for the Planck satellite. The Planck satellite is a Spacecraft built in the Cannes Mandelieu Space Center, that is designed to observe the anisotropies of the cosmic microwave ^[50] Receivers were also designed at Jodrell Bank for the Parkes Telescope in Australia. The Parkes Observatory is a Radio telescope observatory 20 kilometres north of the town of Parkes, New South Wales, Australia. ^[51]

Visitor facilities

A view of the telescope from the Arboretum.

There is an educational visitors' centre at the site, which covers the history of Jodrell Bank and also has a 3D theatre hosting trips to Mars. ^[52] There is also a path around the Lovell telescope, approximately 20 m from the telescope's outer railway, which hosts a number of information boards explaining how the telescope works and the research that is done with it. The visitor's centre also organizes a series of public outreach events, including public lectures, star parties and "ask an astronomer" sessions. ^[53] There is also an astronomy podcast from the observatory, named The Jodcast. ^[54] The original visitors centre, opened on 19 April 1971 by the Duke of Devonshire,^[55] was mostly demolished in 2003; a new science centre is currently being planned,^[56] with part of the old visitor's centre remaining as an interim centre. Events 1012 - Martyrdom of Alphege in Greenwich London. 1529 - At the Second Diet of Speyer Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the aristocratic Cavendish family The centre currently receives around 70,000 visitors a year. ^[57]

The 35 acre (140,000 m²) Jodrell Bank Arboretum, created in 1972, houses the UK's national collections of crab apple Malus and mountain ash Sorbus species, as well as the Heather Society's Calluna collection. An arboretum is a collection of trees Related collections include a fruticetum (from the Latin frutex, meaning shrub and a viticetum a collection of vines Malus, the apples, is a genus of about 30–35 species of small Deciduous Trees or Shrubs in the family Rosaceae. The genus Sorbus is a Genus of about 100–200 species of Trees and Shrubs in the Subfamily Maloideae of the Rose Calluna vulgaris (also known as Ling is the sole species in the Genus Calluna in the family Ericaceae. The arboretum also features a small scale model of the solar system, the scale being approximately 1:5,000,000,000. A scale model is a representation or copy of an object that is larger or smaller than the actual size of the object. The Solar System consists of the Sun and those celestial objects bound to it by Gravity. As part of the SpacedOut project, Jodrell Bank is also the location of the Sun in a 1:15,000,000 scale model of the solar system covering the UK. ^[58]

Threat of closure

On 3 March 2008 it was reported that Britain's Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), faced with an £80 million shortfall in its budget, is considering withdrawing its planned £2. Events 1284 - Statute of Rhuddlan incorporated the Principality of Wales into England 1575 - Indian 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The Science and Technology Facilities Council is a UK government body that carries out civil research in Science and Engineering, and funds UK research 7 million annual funding of Jodrell Bank's e-MERLIN project. The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network ( MERLIN) is an Interferometer array of Radio telescopes spread across England and the The project, which aims to replace the microwave links between Jodrell Bank and a number of other radio telescopes with high-bandwidth fibre-optic cables, greatly increasing the sensitivity of observations, is seen as critical to the survival of the establishment in its present form. Microwaves are electromagnetic waves with Wavelengths ranging from 1 mm to 1 m or frequencies between 0 An optical fiber (or fibre) is a Glass or Plastic fiber that carries Light along its length Sir Bernard Lovell is quoted as saying "It will be a disaster … The fate of the Jodrell Bank telescope is bound up with the fate of e-MERLIN. Sir Alfred Charles Bernard Lovell - better known as Sir Bernard Lovell OBE PhD FRS (born 31 August 1913) is an English I don't think the establishment can survive if the e-MERLIN funding is cut. "^[59][60]

On Monday 14th April 2008, Cheshire's 106.9 Silk FM unveiled to its listeners their own campaign song to save Jodrell Bank, entitled "The Jodrell Bank Song" and sung by a group dubbed "The Astronomers". Along with the song the Silk FM team also produced a music video filmed in front of the iconic Lovell telescope. Silk FM released the song for download from Monday 21st April 2008. All proceeds will go towards saving Jodrell Bank.

The May 2008 edition of Astronomy Now, reporting on an STFC discussion forum held at the RAS National Astronomy Meeting, said that the e-MERLIN project and the Jodrell Bank facility now "appear to be safe". The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS is a Learned society that began as the Astronomical Society of London in 1820 to support astronomical research

Fictional references

Jodrell Bank has been mentioned in several popular works of fiction. It is often believed that part of the Doctor Who episode Logopolis was filmed at Jodrell Bank, however, it was in fact filmed at BBC receiving station Crowsley Park with a model standing in for Jodrell via blue-screen. Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Logopolis is a serial in the British Science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly In the later episode Remembrance of the Daleks, set in 1963, the Doctor asks for "a direct line to Jodrell Bank" before realising it hasn't been built yet. Remembrance of the Daleks is a serial in the British Science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast Jodrell Bank is also mentioned in The Poison Sky: "Jodrell Bank's traced the signal. " The Poison Sky " is the fifth episode of the fourth series of British Science fiction television series Doctor Who. They're coming from 5000 miles above the Earth. "

Jodrell Bank was mentioned twice in the book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: "The huge yellow somethings went unnoticed at Goonhilly, they passed over Cape Canaveral without a blip, Woomera and Jodrell Bank looked straight through them--which was a pity because it was exactly the sort of thing they'd been looking for all these years",^[61] and "Miles above the surface of the planet the huge yellow somethings began to fan out. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a science fiction comedy series Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station is a large telecommunications site located on Goonhilly Downs near Helston on the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall Cape Canaveral from the Spanish Cabo Cañaveral, is a headland in Brevard County Florida, United States, near the center of that At Jodrell Bank, someone decided it was time for a nice relaxing cup of tea. "^[62] The Lovell Telescope also appeared briefly in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy film and scenes in the movie trailer were filmed in the main control room. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a science fiction comedy film based on the book of the same name by Douglas Adams.

The observatory also got a brief mention in the infamous B-movie The Creeping Terror. A B movie is a motion picture made on a low or modest budget Originally the term was used for films intended for distribution as the less-publicized second half of a Double The Creeping Terror is a 1964 horror / sci-fi film, which appeared in the 2004 documentary The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made, and was lampooned Also, "Jodrell Bank" was the working name for "Standoff", a map featured in the popular video game Halo 3. Halo 3 is a First-person shooter Video game developed by Bungie exclusively for the Xbox 360. Jodrell Bank was also mentioned as the fictional "Mission Control" for the British Royal Space Force in Warren Ellis' Ministry of Space graphic novels.

References

Books

• Adams, Douglas (1986). Douglas Noël Adams (11 March 1952 &ndash 11 May 2001 was an English author comic Radio dramatist Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - A Trilogy in Four Parts. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a science fiction comedy series Pan Books. ISBN 0-330-31611-7.  
• Gunn, A. G. (2005). "Jodrell Bank and the Meteor Velocity Controversy". In The New Astronomy: Opening the Electromagnetic Window and Expanding Our View of Planet Earth, Volume 334 of the Astrophysics and Space Science Library. Part 3, pages 107-118. Springer Netherlands. doi:10.1007/1-4020-3724-4_7
• Lovell, Bernard (1968). A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document. Story of Jodrell Bank. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-217619-6 (hardback).  
• Lovell, Bernard (1973). Out of the Zenith: Jodrell Bank, 1957-70. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-217624-2 (hardback).  
• Lovell, Bernard (1985). The Jodrell Bank Telescopes. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-858178-5 (hardback).  
• Lovell, Bernard (1990). Astronomer by Chance. London: Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-55195-8.  
• Piper, Roger [1965] (1972). The Story of Jodrell Bank, Carousel edition. ISBN 0552540285.  
• Pullan, Brian; Abendstern, Michele (2000). A history of the University of Manchester 1951-1973. Manchester University Press. Manchester University Press is the University press of the University of Manchester, England. ISBN 0719056705.  

Journal articles

• Palmer, H. P. ; B. Rowson (1968). "The Jodrell Bank Mark III Radio Telescope". Nature 217: 21-22. Nature, in the broadest sense is equivalent to the natural world, physical universe, material world or material universe. doi:10.1038/217021a0. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document.