Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory
Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory (MRAO) is home to a number of large aperture synthesis radio telescopes, including the One-Mile Telescope, 5-km Ryle Telescope, and the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager.
History
Radio interferometry started in the mid-1940s on the outskirts of Cambridge, but with funding from the Science Research Council and a donation of £100,000 from Mullard Limited (a manufacturer of electron valves).
Construction of the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory commenced at Lord's Bridge,[1] a few kilometres to the west of Cambridge.
The observatory was founded under Martin Ryle of the Radio-Astronomy Group of the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge and was opened by Sir Edward Victor Appleton on 25 July 1957. This group is now known as the Cavendish Astrophysics Group.
Location
The site is located at Lord's Bridge, Cambridgeshire on a former ordnance storage facility, next to the now-abandoned Cambridge-Bedford railway line.
A portion of the track bed of the old line, running nearly East-West for several miles, was used to form the main part of the "5km" radio-telescope and the Cambridge Low Frequency Synthesis Telescope.
Telescopes
| Telescope | Year built | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Arcminute Microkelvin Imager Large Array | 2007 | Active |
| Arcminute Microkelvin Imager Small Array | 2004 | Active |
| Very Small Array (moved to Tenerife in 1999) | 1998 | Active |
| Cosmic Anisotropy Telescope made first high-resolution maps of Cosmic Microwave Background fluctuations | 1995 | Decommissioned |
| Cambridge Optical Aperture Synthesis Telescope (COAST) first aperture synthesis at optical wavelengths | 1993 | Operated on clear nights |
| One receiver from the e-MERLIN array | 1990 | Active |
| Cambridge Low Frequency Synthesis Telescope (CLFST) | 1980 | Decommissioned |
| Ryle Telescope (formerly 5-Kilometre Telescope) | 1971 | Decommissioned (repurposed for AMI LA in 2006) |
| Half-Mile Telescope | 1968 | Decommissioned |
| Interplanetary Scintillation Array discovered first pulsar | 1967 | Decommissioned |
| One-Mile Telescope | 1964 | Decommissioned |
| 4C Array, first telescope at the Cambridge's new observatory, used to make the 4C catalogue | 1958 | Decommissioned |
Gallery
The following photographs (except for the last 2 items) were taken in June 2014:
Lecture hall and exhibition centre in the station house of Lord's Bridge Railway Station
Several antennas of the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager Large Array
The Arcminute Microkelvin Imager Small Array
Stitched panorama of the Cosmic Anisotropy Telescope enclosure
Part of the Cambridge Optical Aperture Synthesis Telescope
The interior of the bunker of the Cambridge Optical Aperture Synthesis Telescope
The receiver from the e-MERLIN array
Surviving Yagi antennas of the Cambridge Low Frequency Synthesis Telescope
Two antennas of the Half-Mile Telescope
Remains of the Interplanetary Scintillation Array
One antenna of the One-Mile Telescope (left), two of the Half-Mile Telescope (centre) and the remains of the 4C Array (right)
Detail of the remains of the 4C Array, with antennas of the One-Mile Telescope in the background
Mullard EL34 Power Pentode, Mullard produced up to 40% of valves during 1939-1945 War
The Mullard Foundation plaque
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory. |
Notes
Sources
- The Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory webpage
- Image from Google maps showing the One-Mile, Half Mile, 4C Array, MERLIN, COAST, CAT and Ryle telescopes.
- Subterranea Britannica entry for Lord's Bridge Forward Filling Depot (also Air Ammunition Park)
- Subterranea Britannica entry for Lord's Bridge Station