Lovell Telescope
The Lovell Telescope (/ˈlʌvəl/ LUV-əl) is a radio telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory, near Goostrey, Cheshire, in the north-west of England. When construction was finished in 1957, the telescope was the largest steerable dish radio telescope in the world at 76.2 m (250 ft) in diameter; it is now the third-largest, after the Green Bank telescope in West Virginia, United States, and the Effelsberg telescope in Germany. It was originally known as the "250 ft telescope" or the Radio Telescope at Jodrell Bank, before becoming the Mark I telescope around 1961 when future telescopes (the Mark II, III, and IV) were being discussed. It was renamed to the Lovell Telescope in 1987 after Sir Bernard Lovell, and became a Grade I listed building in 1988. The telescope forms part of the MERLIN and European VLBI Network arrays of radio telescopes.
The Lovell Telescope | |
| Alternative names | 250 ft telescope |
|---|---|
| Named after | Bernard Lovell |
| Part of | European VLBI Network Jodrell Bank Observatory mERLIN |
| Location(s) | Goostrey, Cheshire East, Cheshire, North West England, England |
| Coordinates | 53°14′11″N 2°18′30″W |
| Organization | Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics |
| Wavelength | 5 GHz (6.0 cm) |
| Built | 3 September 1952–1957 |
| First light | 2 August 1957 |
| Telescope style | radio telescope |
| Diameter | 250 ft (76 m) |
| Collecting area | 4,560 m2 (49,100 sq ft) |
| Focal length | 22.9 m (75 ft 2 in) |
| Website | www |
Location of Lovell Telescope | |
| Related media on Commons | |
Both Bernard Lovell and Charles Husband were knighted for their roles in creating the telescope. In September 2006, the telescope won the BBC's online competition to find the UK's greatest "Unsung Landmark". 2007 marked the 50th anniversary of the telescope.
If the air is clear enough, the Mark I telescope can be seen from high-rise buildings in Manchester such as the Beetham Tower, and from as far away as the Pennines, Winter Hill in Lancashire, Snowdonia, Beeston Castle in Cheshire, and the Peak District. It can also be seen from south-facing windows of the Terminal 1 restaurant area and departure lounges of Manchester Airport.