Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory 1064379 224792023 2008-07-10T12:56:34Z Lightbot 7178666 Units/dates/other [[Image:Mrao 1 mile.jpg|thumb|One antenna of the One-Mile Telescope at the observatory]] [[Image:MRAO Plaque.JPG|thumb|The foundation plaque]] '''Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory''' ('''MRAO''') is home to a number of large [[aperture synthesis]] [[radio telescope]]s, including the [[One-Mile Telescope]], 5-km [[Ryle Telescope]], and the [[Arcminute Microkelvin Imager]]. 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, construction of the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory commenced at [[Lord's Bridge railway station|Lord's Bridge]][http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/l/lords_bridge/index.shtml], a few [[kilometre]]s to the west of Cambridge. The observatory was founded under [[Martin Ryle]] of the [[Cavendish Astrophysics Group|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. The site is located at [[Lord's Bridge]], [[Cambridgeshire]] on a former ordnance storage facility, next to the now-abandoned [[Varsity Line|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 [[Ryle Telescope|"5km"]] radio-telescope and the [[Cambridge Low Frequency Synthesis Telescope]]. == Telescopes == {| class="wikitable" ! Telescope !! Year built !! Status |- | [[Arcminute Microkelvin Imager]] Large Array || 2007 || In commissioning phase |- | [[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|Cambridge Optical Aperture Synthesis Telescope (COAST)]] first [[aperture synthesis]] at [[optical]] wavelengths || 1993 || Operated on clear nights |- | One receiver from the [[MERLIN]] array || 1990 || Active |- | [[Cambridge Low Frequency Synthesis Telescope]] (CLFST) || 1980 || Decommissioned |- | [[Ryle Telescope]] (formerly '''5-Kilometre Telescope''')|| 1971 || Decommissioned (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 [[Fourth Cambridge Survey|4C catalogue]] || 1958 || Decommissioned |} ==External links== *[http://www.mrao.cam.ac.uk/telescopes/ The Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory webpage] *[http://maps.google.com/maps?t=k&hl=en&ll=52.168536,0.0424&spn=0.016793,0.03695 Image from Google maps] showing the [[One-Mile Telescope|One-Mile]], [[Half-Mile Telescope|Half Mile]], [[4C Array]], [[MERLIN]], [[Cambridge Optical Aperture Synthesis Telescope|COAST]], [[Cosmic Anisotropy Telescope|CAT]] and [[Ryle Telescope|Ryle]] telescopes. *[http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/sites/l/lords_bridge_ffd/index.shtml Subterranea Britannica entry for Lord's Bridge Forward Filling Depot (also Air Ammunition Park)] *[http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/l/lords_bridge/index.shtml Subterranea Britannica entry for Lord's Bridge Station] {{coord|52.17000|0.04333|type:landmark_source:USNO/HMNAO|display=title}} [[Category:Radio telescopes]] [[Category:Astronomical observatories in England]] [[Category:Buildings and structures in Cambridgeshire]] [[Category:Cavendish Laboratory]]