View source for Jodrell Bank Observatory

{{Short description|Astronomical observatory in Cheshire, England}}
{{Redirect|Transit Telescope|the type of telescope|Transit telescope}}
{{use British English|date=May 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox observatory
| embedded = {{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site | child=yes
  | WHS           = Jodrell Bank Observatory
  | image         = 
  | image_upright = 19.5
  | caption       = The [[Lovell Telescope]]
  | location      =
  | criteria      = {{UNESCO WHS type|(i), (ii), (iv), (vi)}}(i), (ii), (iv), (vi)
  | ID            = 1594 
  | year          = 2019
  | area          = {{convert|17.38|ha|acre|abbr=on}}
  | buffer_zone   = {{convert|18569.22|ha|acre|abbr=on}}
  | locmapin      = 
  | map_caption   = 
  }}
}}

'''Jodrell Bank Observatory''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|dʒ|ɒ|d|r|əl}} {{respell|JOD|rəl}}) in [[Cheshire]], England, hosts a number of [[radio telescope]]s as part of the [[Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics]] at the [[University of Manchester]]. The [[observatory]] was established in 1945 by [[Bernard Lovell]], a radio astronomer at the university, to investigate [[cosmic ray]]s after his work on [[radar]] in the [[Second World War]]. It has since played an important role in the research of [[meteoroid]]s, [[quasar]]s, [[pulsar]]s, [[astrophysical maser|masers]], and [[gravitational lens]]es, and was heavily involved with the tracking of [[space probe]]s at the start of the [[Space Age]].

The main telescope at the observatory is the [[Lovell Telescope]]. Its diameter of {{convert|250|ft|m|abbr=on}} makes it the third largest steerable radio telescope in the world. There are three other active telescopes at the observatory; the [[Mark II (radio telescope)|Mark II]] and {{convert|42|ft|m|abbr=on}} and 7&nbsp;m diameter radio telescopes. Jodrell Bank Observatory is the base of the [[MERLIN|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 Jodrell Bank Visitor Centre and an arboretum are in [[Lower Withington]], and the Lovell Telescope and the observatory near [[Goostrey]] and [[Holmes Chapel]]. The observatory is reached from the [[A535 road|A535]]. The [[Crewe to Manchester Line]] passes by the site, and [[Goostrey railway station|Goostrey station]] is a short distance away. In 2019, the observatory became a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2005/|title=Six cultural sites added to UNESCO's World Heritage List|website=UNESCO|date=7 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-48893080 |title=Jodrell Bank gains Unesco World Heritage status |work=BBC News |date=7 July 2019 |access-date=7 July 2019}}</ref>

== Early years ==
[[Image:Jodrell bank Hut 1945.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Initial 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 [[Faculty of Life Sciences (University of Manchester)#Department of Botany|Department of Botany]] purchased three fields from the Leighs. It is named from a nearby rise in the ground, Jodrell Bank, which was named after [[William Jauderell]], an archer whose descendants lived at the mansion that is now [[Terra Nova School]]. The site was extended in 1952 by the purchase of a farm from George Massey on which the Lovell Telescope was built.<ref name="story_jb">Lovell, ''The Story of Jodrell Bank''</ref>

The site was first used for [[astrophysics]] in 1945, when Bernard Lovell used some equipment left over from [[World War II]], including a [[gun laying]] radar, to investigate [[cosmic ray]]s.<ref name="story_2">Lovell, ''The Story of Jodrell Bank'', p. 2</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=The Story of Jodrell Bank | publisher=Jodrell Bank | url=https://www.jodrellbank.net/explore/heritage/the-story-of-jodrell-bank/ | access-date=17 February 2025}}</ref> The equipment was a GL II radar system working at a wavelength of 4.2&nbsp;m, provided by [[J. S. Hey]].<ref name="astronomer_110">Astronomer by Chance, p. 110</ref><ref name="2005Gunn">Gunn, 2005</ref> He intended to use the equipment in [[Manchester]], but [[Electromagnetic interference|electrical interference]] from the trams on [[Oxford Road, Manchester|Oxford Road]] prevented him from doing so. He moved the equipment to Jodrell Bank, {{convert|25|mi|km}} south of the city, on 10 December 1945.<ref name="2005Gunn" /><ref name="story_3">Lovell, ''The Story of Jodrell Bank'', p. 3</ref> Lovell's main research was transient radio echoes, which he confirmed were from [[ionisation|ionized]] meteor trails by October 1946.<ref name="story_9">Lovell, ''The Story of Jodrell Bank'', p. 9</ref> The first staff were Alf Dean and Frank Foden, who observed meteors with the naked eye while Lovell observed the electromagnetic signal using equipment.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bernard Lovell |url=http://www.economist.com/node/21560524 |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |date=18 August 2012 |access-date=30 August 2012}}</ref> The first time Lovell turned the radar on – 14 December 1945 – the [[Geminids]] [[meteor shower]] was at a maximum.<ref name="story_3"/>

Over the next few years, Lovell accumulated more ex-military radio hardware, including a portable cabin. The first permanent building was near to the cabin and was named after it.<ref name="story_9"/>

== Searchlight telescope ==
A [[searchlight]] was loaned to Jodrell Bank in 1946 by the army;<ref name="story_10">Lovell, ''The Story of Jodrell Bank'', p. 10</ref> a broadside array, was constructed on its mount by J. Clegg.<ref name="story_10"/> It consisted of 7 elements of [[Yagi–Uda antenna]]s.<ref name="astronomer_129">Astronomer by Chance, p. 129</ref> It was used for astronomical observations in October 1946.<ref name="astronomer_128">Astronomer by Chance, p. 128</ref>

On 9 and 10 October 1946, the telescope observed ionisation in the atmosphere caused by meteors in the [[Giacobinids]] meteor shower. 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 from meteors.<ref name="astronomer_129"/> The telescope was then 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.<ref name="story_10"/> The telescope and other receivers on the site studied the [[Aurora (astronomy)|auroral streamer]]s that were visible in early August 1947.<ref name="story_15">Lovell, ''The Story of Jodrell Bank'', p. 15</ref><ref name="astronomer_186">Astronomer by Chance, p. 186</ref>

== Transit Telescope ==
<!-- [[:fr:Télescope Transit]] -->
The Transit Telescope was a {{convert|218|ft|m|abbr=on}} [[parabolic reflector]] [[zenith telescope]] built in 1947. At the time, it was the world's largest radio telescope. It consisted of a wire mesh suspended from a ring of {{convert|24|ft|m|abbr=on}} [[scaffolding|scaffold poles]], which focussed radio signals on a [[focus (optics)|focal point]] {{convert|126|ft|m|abbr=on}} above the ground. 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 changed from timber to steel before construction was complete.<ref name="story_jb"/>

The telescope was replaced by the steerable {{convert|250|ft|m|abbr=on}} Lovell Telescope, and the Mark II telescope was subsequently built at the same location.

The telescope could map a ± 15-degree strip around the zenith at 72 and 160&nbsp;MHz, with a resolution at 160&nbsp;MHz of 1 degree.<ref name="bluebook">{{cite book | first=Bernard | last=Lovell | author-link=Bernard Lovell | title=Blue Book | date=1950 | url=http://www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/lovell/bluebook/ | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100114004039/http://www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/lovell/bluebook/ | archive-date=14 January 2010}} (the proposal document for the Lovell Telescope). pp. 4–5</ref> It discovered radio noise from the [[Andromeda Galaxy|Great Nebula]] in [[Andromeda (constellation)|Andromeda]] – the first definite detection of an extragalactic radio source – and the remnants of [[SN 1572|Tycho's Supernova]] in the radio frequency; at the time it had not been discovered by [[optical astronomy]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk/history/early.html | title=The Early History | publisher=Jodrell Bank Observatory | access-date=2006-11-22 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081027221016/http://www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk/history/early.html | archive-date=27 October 2008}}</ref>

== Lovell Telescope ==
[[Image:Lovell Telescope 1.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|The [[Lovell Telescope]] at Jodrell Bank]]
{{main|Lovell Telescope}}

The "Mark I" telescope, now known as the Lovell Telescope, was the world's largest steerable dish radio telescope, {{convert|76.2|m|ft}} in diameter, when it was constructed in 1957;<ref>
{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/14/newsid_2566000/2566961.stm | title=On This Day—14 March 1960: Radio telescope makes space history | work=BBC News | access-date=2007-05-11 | date=14 March 1960}}</ref> it is now the third largest, after the [[Green Bank Telescope|Green Bank telescope]] in [[West Virginia]] and the [[Effelsberg 100-m Radio Telescope|Effelsberg telescope]] in Germany.<ref name="spaceref_resurface">{{cite web | url=http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=9732 | title=The Lovell Telescope presents a new face to the Universe | date=5 November 2002 | access-date=2007-05-11 | archive-date=10 June 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610051732/http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=9732 | url-status=dead }}</ref> Part of the gun turret mechanisms from the [[First World War]] battleships {{HMS|Revenge|06|6}} and {{HMS|Royal Sovereign|05|6}} were reused in the telescope's motor system.<ref name="story_29">Lovell, ''The Story of Jodrell Bank'', p. 29</ref> The telescope became operational in mid-1957, in time for the launch of the Soviet Union's [[Sputnik 1]], the world's first artificial satellite. The telescope was the only one able to track Sputnik's [[booster rocket]] by radar;<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8059107.stm|title=Jodrell Bank's Cold War history|access-date=2009-07-13|date=20 May 2009|publisher=BBC News Channel}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=The team that tracked Sputnik – and the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-shropshire-41416087/the-team-that-tracked-sputnik-and-the-world-s-first-intercontinental-ballistic-missile|access-date=4 October 2017|work=BBC|date=4 October 2017}}</ref> first locating it just before midnight on 12 October 1957, eight days after its launch.<ref name="story_196">Lovell, ''The Story of Jodrell Bank'', p. 196</ref><ref name="astronomer_262">Lovell, ''Astronomer by Chance'', p. 262</ref>

In the following years, the telescope tracked various space probes. Between 11 March and 12 June 1960, it tracked the United States' [[NASA]]-launched [[Pioneer 5]] probe. The telescope sent commands to the probe, including those to separate it from its carrier rocket and turn on its more powerful transmitter when the probe was eight million miles away. It received data from the probe, the only telescope in the world capable of doing so.<ref>Lovell, ''The Story of Jodrell Bank'', p. xii, pp. 239–244<br />Lovell, ''Astronomer by Chance'', p. 272<br />{{cite magazine | url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,894817,00.html | title=Voice in Space | magazine=Time Magazine | date=21 March 1960 | access-date=2007-04-09 | archive-date=1 April 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070401082712/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,894817,00.html | url-status=dead }}<br />{{cite magazine | url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,827621,00.html | title=Big Voice from Space | magazine=[[Time Magazine]] | date=23 May 1960 | access-date=2007-04-09 | archive-date=21 April 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090421175537/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,827621,00.html | url-status=dead }}</ref> In February 1966, Jodrell Bank was asked by the Soviet Union to track its unmanned Moon lander [[Luna 9]] and recorded on its [[Fax|facsimile]] transmission of photographs from the Moon's surface. The photographs were sent to the British press and published before the Soviets made them public.<ref>Lovell, ''The Story of Jodrell Bank'', p. 250<br />{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/3/newsid_4063000/4063471.stm | title=On This Day—3 February 1966: Soviets land probe on Moon | work=[[BBC News]] | access-date=2007-04-09 | date=3 February 1966 }}<br />{{cite magazine | url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,842468,00.html | title=The Lunar Landscape | magazine=[[Time Magazine]] | date=11 February 1966 | access-date=2007-04-07 | archive-date=20 February 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080220194520/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,842468,00.html | url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1969, the Soviet Union's [[Luna 15]] was also tracked. A recording of the moment when Jodrell Bank's scientists observed the mission was released on 3 July 2009.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/recording-tracks-russias-moon-gatecrash-attempt-1730851.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220609/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/recording-tracks-russias-moon-gatecrash-attempt-1730851.html |archive-date=9 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title= Recording tracks Russia's Moon gatecrash attempt|newspaper=The Independent|date=3 July 2009|access-date=2009-07-16 | location=London | first=Jonathan | last=Brown}}, includes link to recording with Lovell</ref>

With the support of Sir Bernard Lovell, the telescope tracked Russian satellites. Satellite and space probe observations were shared with the US Department of Defense satellite tracking research and development activity at [[Project Space Track]].

Tracking space probes only took a fraction of the Lovell telescope's observing time, and the remainder was used for scientific observations including using radar to measure the distance to the Moon and to Venus;<ref name="zenith_197">Lovell, ''Out of the Zenith'', pp. 197–198</ref><ref name="astronomer_277">Lovell, ''Astronomer by Chance'', pp. 277–280</ref> observations of astrophysical masers around [[star formation|star-forming regions]] and giant stars;<ref name="jbo_gas">{{cite web | url=http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/research/masers/introduction.html | title=Introduction to cosmic masers | date=28 January 2005 | publisher=Jodrell Bank Observatory | access-date=2007-06-01}}</ref> observations of pulsars (including the discovery of millisecond pulsars<ref name="jbo_stars">{{cite web | url=http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/tech/lovell/aunstar.html | title=JBO—Stars | publisher=Jodrell Bank Observatory | access-date=2007-06-01}}</ref> and the first pulsar in a globular cluster);<ref name="jbo_milestones">{{cite web | url=http://www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk/history/milestones.html | title=Milestones | publisher=Jodrell Bank Observatory | access-date=2007-05-28 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081028175102/http://www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk/history/milestones.html | archive-date=28 October 2008}}</ref> and observations of quasars and gravitational lenses (including the detection of the first gravitational lens<ref name="astronomer_297">Lovell, ''Astronomer by Chance'', pp. 297–301</ref> and the first [[Einstein ring]]).<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/71518.stm | title=Astronomers see cosmic mirage | work=[[BBC News]] | date=1 April 1998 | access-date=2007-04-09}}</ref> The telescope has also been used for [[Search for extraterrestrial intelligence|SETI]] observations.<ref name="bbc_seti">{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/52489.stm | title=Scientists listen intently for ET | work=[[BBC News]] | date=1 February 1998 | access-date=2007-04-09}}</ref>

== Mark II and III telescopes ==
{{main|Mark II (radio telescope)|Mark III (radio telescope)}}
[[Image:Jodrell Bank Mark II.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The [[Mark II (radio telescope)|Mark II]] radio telescope]]
The Mark II telescope is an elliptical radio telescope, with a major axis of {{convert|38.1|m|ft}} and a minor axis of {{convert|25.4|m|ft}}.<ref name="jbo_mk2">{{cite web | url=http://www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk/history/mk2.html | title=The MKII Radio Telescope | publisher=Jodrell Bank Observatory | access-date=2007-06-01 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081027221041/http://www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk/history/mk2.html | archive-date=27 October 2008}}</ref> It was constructed in 1964. As well as operating as a standalone telescope, it has been used as an [[interferometer]] with the Lovell Telescope, and is now primarily used as part of the MERLIN project.<ref name="interferometer1"/><ref name="quest">{{cite web | url=http://www.merlin.ac.uk/about/layman/quest.html | title=The quest for the resolving power | publisher=Jodrell Bank Observatory | access-date=2009-07-16}}</ref>
The [[Mark III (radio telescope)|Mark III telescope]], the same size as the Mark II, was constructed to be transportable<ref name="nature">Palmer and Rowson (1968)</ref> but it was never moved from [[Wardle, Cheshire|Wardle]], near [[Nantwich]], where it was used as part of [[MERLIN]]. It was built in 1966 and decommissioned in 1996.<ref name="merlin_locations">{{cite web | url=http://www.merlin.ac.uk/user_guide/OnlineMUG-ajh/newch0-node62.html | title=MERLIN user guide—4.1 Location of Telescopes | access-date=2007-08-05}}</ref>

== Mark IV, V and VA telescope proposals ==
[[Image:Mark V radio telescope model.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|A model of the proposed Mark V radio telescope]]
The Mark IV, V and VA telescope proposals were put forward in the 1960s through to the 1980s to build even larger radio telescopes.

The Mark IV proposal was for a {{convert|1000|ft|m}} diameter standalone telescope, built as a national project.

The Mark V proposal was for a {{convert|400|ft|m}} moveable telescope. The concept of this proposal was for a telescope on a {{convert|3/4|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} railway line adjoining Jodrell Bank, but concerns about future levels of interference meant that a site in Wales would have been preferable. Design proposals by Husband and Co and Freeman Fox, who had designed the [[Parkes Observatory]] telescope in Australia, were put forward.

The Mark VA was similar to the Mark V but with a smaller dish of {{convert|375|ft|m}} and a design using [[prestressed concrete]], similar to the Mark II (the previous two designs more closely resembled the Lovell telescope).<ref name="jb_telescopes">Lovell, ''Jodrell Bank Telescopes''</ref>

None of the proposed telescopes was constructed, although design studies were carried out and scale models were made, partly because of the changing political climate, and partly due to the financial constraints of astronomical research in the UK. Also it became necessary to upgrade the Lovell Telescope to the Mark IA, which overran in terms of cost.<ref name="jb_telescopes"/>

== Other single dishes ==
<!-- Please note: "42ft" and "7m" are names, not units of size. User:Mike Peel -->
[[File:7m telescope, Jodrell Bank Observatory 2016 001.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|The 7 m telescope for undergraduate teaching, with the Lovell telescope directly behind]]
A 50&nbsp;ft (15&nbsp;m) alt-azimuth dish was constructed in 1964 for astronomical research and to track the [[Zond 1]], [[Zond 2]], [[Ranger 6]] and [[Ranger 7]] space probes<ref name="earlyprobetracking">{{cite web | url=http://www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk/history/tracking/ | title=Jodrell Bank's role in early space tracking activities | publisher=Jodrell Bank Observatory | access-date=2007-06-10 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081027221051/http://www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk/history/tracking/ | archive-date=27 October 2008}}</ref> and [[Apollo 11]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.open2.net/historyandthearts/history/three_transcript_p.html | title=The other space race: Transcript | publisher=[[BBC]]/[[Open University]] | access-date=2007-06-14}}</ref> After an accident that irreparably damaged the 50&nbsp;ft telescope's surface, it was demolished in 1982 and replaced with a more accurate telescope, the "42&nbsp;ft". The 42&nbsp;ft (12.8&nbsp;m) dish is mainly used to observe pulsars, and continually monitors the [[Crab Pulsar]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/booklet/Pulsars.html | title=Jodrell Bank—Pulsars | publisher=Jodrell Bank Observatory|access-date=2007-06-10}}</ref>

When the 42&nbsp;ft was installed, a smaller dish, the "7&nbsp;m" (actually 6.4 m, or 21&nbsp;ft, in diameter) was installed and is used for undergraduate teaching. The 42&nbsp;ft and 7&nbsp;m telescopes were originally used at the [[RAAF Woomera Range Complex|Woomera Rocket Testing Range]] in [[South Australia]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk/tour/lobs.html | title=JBO—Lovell Observing Room | access-date=2007-06-10 | publisher=Jodrell Bank Observatory | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720151959/http://www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk/tour/lobs.html | archive-date=20 July 2011}}</ref> The 7&nbsp;m was originally constructed in 1970 by the [[Marconi Company]].<ref name="7m">{{cite web | url=http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/tech/7m/7m_telescope.html | title=NRAL—7&nbsp;m Telescope | access-date=2008-05-08|publisher=Jodrell Bank Observatory}}</ref>

A Polar Axis telescope was built in 1962. It had a circular 50&nbsp;ft (15.2&nbsp;m) dish on a [[polar mount]],<ref name="jbtelescopes_232">Lovell, ''Jodrell Bank Telescopes'', p. 232</ref> and was mostly used for moon radar experiments. It has been decommissioned. An {{convert|18|in|mm|adj=on}} reflecting optical telescope was donated to the observatory in 1951<ref name="history_manuni_37">Pullan, ''A history of the University of Manchester 1951–73'', p. 37</ref> but was not used much, and was donated to the Salford Astronomical Society around 1971.<ref name="salford_astro_society">{{cite web | url=http://www.salfordastro.org.uk/salford-observatory/ | title=Salford Astronomical Society—Observatory | access-date=2007-04-23 | publisher=Salford Observatory | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202234118/http://www.salfordastro.org.uk/salford-observatory/ | archive-date=2 December 2010}}</ref>

== MERLIN ==
{{main|MERLIN}}
The Multi-Element Radio Linked [[Interferometer]] Network (MERLIN) is an array of [[radio telescope]]s spread across England and the Welsh borders. The array is run from Jodrell Bank on behalf of the [[Science and Technology Facilities Council]] as a National Facility.<ref name="merlin">{{cite web | url=http://www.merlin.ac.uk/ | title=MERLIN/VLBI National Facility | publisher=Jodrell Bank Observatory | access-date=2007-08-05}}</ref> The array consists of up to seven [[radio telescope]]s and includes the Lovell Telescope, the Mark II, [[Cambridge]], [[Defford]], [[Knockin]], [[Darnhall]], and [[Pickmere]] (previously known as [[Tabley Superior|Tabley]]). The longest baseline is {{convert|217|km|mi}} and MERLIN can operate at [[Frequency|frequencies]] between 151 [[Megahertz|MHz]] and 24 [[Hertz|GHz]].<ref name="merlin_locations"/> At a [[wavelength]] of 6&nbsp;cm (5&nbsp;GHz frequency), MERLIN has a resolution of 50&nbsp;milli[[arcsecond]]s which is comparable to that of the [[Hubble Space Telescope|HST]] at optical wavelengths.<ref name="merlin"/>

== Very Long Baseline Interferometry ==
{{main|European VLBI Network|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 at [[Algonquin Radio Observatory|Algonquin]] and [[Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory|Penticton]] in Canada.<ref name="zenith_67">Lovell, ''Out of the Zenith'', pp. 67–68</ref> 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 0.001 [[arcseconds]].<ref name="interferometer1">{{cite web|url=http://www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk/booklet/Merlin.html|title=The Merlin and VLBI National Facility|publisher=Jodrell Bank Observatory|access-date=2009-07-16|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080501163251/http://www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk/booklet/Merlin.html|archive-date=1 May 2008}}</ref>

== Square Kilometre Array ==
{{main|Square Kilometre Array}}
[[File:At Jodrell Bank Observatory 2018 040.jpg|thumb|upright=1.9|right|The [[Square Kilometre Array]] headquarters]]
In April 2011, Jodrell Bank was named as the location of the control centre for the planned [[Square Kilometre Array]], or SKA Project Office (SPO).<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2011/apr/03/jodrell-bank-largest-radio-telescope| title=Jodrell Bank to play key part in creating world's largest radio telescope | work=[[The Guardian]] | date=3 April 2011 | access-date=2012-05-25}}</ref> The SKA is planned by a collaboration of 20 countries and when completed, is intended to be the most powerful [[radio telescope]] ever built. In April 2015 it was announced that Jodrell Bank would be the permanent home of the SKA headquarters<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.skatelescope.org/news/worlds-largest-radio-telescope-has-a-permanent-home-for-its-headquarters/|title=World's largest radio telescope has a permanent home for its headquarters – SKA Telescope|website=SKA Telescope|date=30 April 2015|access-date=2016-04-14}}</ref> for the period of operation expected for the telescope (over 50 years<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.skatelescope.org/news/ska-hq-selection-process/|title=Information regarding the SKA Headquarters selection process – SKA Telescope|website=SKA Telescope|date=11 March 2015|access-date=2016-04-14}}</ref>).

== Research ==
[[File:Jodrell Bank Control Building.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|right|The main building at Jodrell Bank Observatory]]
{{main|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.<ref name="physics_researchgroups">{{cite web| url=http://www.physics.manchester.ac.uk/research/groups/| title=Research groups: School of Physics and Astronomy| publisher=The University of Manchester| access-date=2007-08-05| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070818051757/http://www.physics.manchester.ac.uk/research/groups/| archive-date=18 August 2007}}</ref> About half of the research of the group is in the area of radio astronomy – including research into [[pulsar]]s, the [[Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation]], [[gravitational lens]]es, [[active galaxy|active galaxies]] and [[astrophysical maser]]s. The group also carries out research at different wavelengths, looking into [[star formation]] and evolution, [[planetary nebula]] and [[astrochemistry]].<ref name="research">{{cite web | url=http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/research/ | title=Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics Research | access-date=2007-08-05|publisher=Jodrell Bank Observatory}}</ref>

The first director of Jodrell Bank was [[Bernard Lovell]], who established the observatory in 1945. He was succeeded in 1980 by [[Francis Graham-Smith|Sir Francis Graham-Smith]], followed by [[Rod Davies|Professor Rod Davies]] around 1990 and [[Andrew Lyne|Professor Andrew Lyne]] in 1999.<ref name="lyne_appointment">{{cite web | url=http://www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk/news/1999/director/dir_nral.html | title=Director of the Nuffield Radio Astronomy Laboratories, Jodrell Bank | access-date=2007-05-29 | publisher=Jodrell Bank Observatory | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720152015/http://www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk/news/1999/director/dir_nral.html | archive-date=20 July 2011}}</ref> [[Phil Diamond|Professor Phil Diamond]] took over the role on 1 October 2006, at the time when the [[Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics]] was formed. Prof Ralph Spencer was Acting Director during 2009 and 2010. In October 2010, Prof. Albert Zijlstra became Director of the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics. Professor Lucio Piccirillo was the Director of the Observatory from Oct 2010 to Oct 2011. Prof. Simon Garrington is the JBCA Associate Director for the Jodrell Bank Observatory. In 2016, Prof. Michael Garrett was appointed as the inaugural Sir Bernard Lovell chair of Astrophysics and Director of Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics. As Director JBCA, Prof. Garrett also has overall responsibility for Jodrell Bank Observatory.

In May 2017 Jodrell Bank entered into a partnership with the [[Breakthrough Listen]] initiative and will share information with Jodrell Bank's team, who wish to conduct an independent SETI search via its 76-m radio telescope and e-MERLIN array.

There is an active development programme 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]].<ref name="vsa_cryostats">{{cite web | url=http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/tech/technology/vsa.html | title=JBO—VSA Receivers | access-date=2007-06-23|publisher=Jodrell Bank Observatory}}</ref> It has also constructed the front-end modules of the 30 and 44&nbsp;GHz receivers for the [[Planck (spacecraft)|Planck spacecraft]].<ref name="jb_bigbang">{{cite web | url=http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/booklet/BigBang.html | title=Jodrell Bank—Observing the Big Bang | access-date=2007-06-10|publisher=Jodrell Bank Observatory}}</ref> Receivers were also designed at Jodrell Bank for the [[Parkes Observatory|Parkes Telescope]] in Australia.<ref name="jodrellbank_anatomy">{{cite web | url=http://www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/lovell/anatomy.html | title=Jodrell Bank—Anatomy of a Radio Telescope | access-date=2007-06-10 | publisher=Jodrell Bank Observatory | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081016100922/http://www.jodrellbank.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/lovell/anatomy.html | archive-date=16 October 2008}}</ref>

==Visitor facilities, and events==
[[File:Jodrell Bank Visitor Centre 1.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The Visitor Centre in 2009]]
[[File:Jodrell Bank new visitors centre.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|New visitors' centre being constructed at Jodrell Bank in March 2011]]

A visitors' centre, opened on 19 April 1971 by the [[Andrew Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire|Duke of Devonshire]],<ref name="zenith">Lovell, ''Out of the Zenith''</ref> attracted around 120,000 visitors per year. It covered the history of Jodrell Bank and had a planetarium and 3D theatre hosting simulated trips to [[Mars]].
[[Asbestos]] in the visitors' centre buildings led to its demolition in 2003 leaving a remnant of its far end. A [[Tent#Marquees and larger tents|marquee]] was set up in its grounds while a new science centre was planned. The plans were shelved when [[Victoria University of Manchester]] and [[UMIST]] merged to become the [[University of Manchester]] in 2004, leaving the interim centre, which received around 70,000 visitors a year.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/science_technology/government+stifling+scientists/1888047| title=Government 'stifling scientists' | publisher=[[PA News]] | date=28 March 2008 | access-date=2009-07-13}}</ref>

[[File:Jodrell Bank Live.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The Lovell Telescope illuminated during Jodrell Bank Live]]
In October 2010, work on a new visitor centre started and the Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre opened on 11 April 2011.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-12998614 | title=Jodrell Bank unveils £3m discovery centre | access-date=2012-05-25 | work=BBC News | date=7 April 2011}}</ref> It includes an entrance building, the Planet Pavilion, a Space Pavilion for exhibitions and events, a glass-walled cafe with a view of the Lovell Telescope and an outdoor dining area, an education space, and landscaped gardens including the Galaxy Maze.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/visitorcentre/ | title=Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre is being redeveloped | access-date=2011-01-01}}</ref> A large [[orrery]] was installed in 2013.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-21936801 | title=Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre unveils 'world's biggest' orrery | work=BBC News | date=26 March 2013 | access-date=2013-03-26}}</ref> The facility also includes a history of Jodrell Bank exhibition, and a space dome showing various space themed shows.

The visitor centre is open Tuesday to Sunday and Mondays during school and bank holidays and organises public outreach events, including public lectures, star parties, and "ask an astronomer" sessions.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.jodrellbank.net/visit | title=Visit – Jodrell Bank | publisher=Jodrell Bank Observatory | access-date=2023-04-16  | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330082211/https://www.jodrellbank.net/visit/ | archive-date=30 March 2023}}</ref>

A path around the Lovell telescope is approximately 20&nbsp;m from the telescope's outer railway, information boards explain how the telescope works and the research that is done with it.

The {{convert|35|acre|m2}} [[arboretum]], created in 1972, houses the UK's national collections of [[crab apple]] ''Malus'' and [[Sorbus|mountain ash]] ''Sorbus'' species, and the Heather Society's ''[[Calluna]]'' collection. The arboretum also has a small [[Solar System model|scale model]] of the [[Solar System]], the scale is approximately 1:5,000,000,000. At Jodrell Bank, as part of the ''SpacedOut'' project, is the Sun in a 1:15,000,000 scale model of the Solar System covering Britain.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.spacedout-uk.com/solar_system/solar_info.asp?site_id=2 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051213212326/http://www.spacedout-uk.com/solar_system/solar_info.asp?site_id=2 | url-status=dead | archive-date=2005-12-13 | title=SpacedOut Location: The Sun at Jodrell Bank | access-date=2007-06-08 | publisher=SpacedOut }}</ref>

On 7 July 2010, it was announced that the observatory was being considered for the 2011 United Kingdom Tentative List for [[World Heritage Site]] status.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/news_stories/7221.aspx | title = Applicants for UK Tentative World Heritage Status | access-date = 2010-09-04 | publisher = Department for Culture Media and Sport}}</ref> It was announced on 22 March 2011 that it was on the UK government's shortlist.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2011/mar/22/uk-nominations-world-heritage-status | title=UK nominates 11 sites for Unesco world heritage status | work=The Guardian | date=22 March 2011 | access-date=2011-03-22 | first=Maev | last=Kennedy}}</ref> In January 2018, it became the UK's candidate for World Heritage status.<ref name=Unesco_2018>{{cite web |url=https://www.unesco.org.uk/news/jodrell-bank-selected-as-next-uk-nomination-for-world-heritage-site-status/ |title=Jodrell Bank selected as next UK nomination for UNESCO World Heritage Site status |publisher=The United Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO |date=2018 |access-date=22 July 2018 |archive-date=23 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723003554/https://www.unesco.org.uk/news/jodrell-bank-selected-as-next-uk-nomination-for-world-heritage-site-status/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In July 2011 the visitor centre and observatory hosted "Live from Jodrell Bank - Transmission 001" – a rock concert with bands including [[The Flaming Lips]], [[British Sea Power]], [[Wave Machines]], [[OK GO]] and [[Alice Gold]].<ref name="jblive">{{cite web | url=http://www.jodrellbanklive.co.uk/shows | title=Shows: Live from Jodrell Bank | access-date=2011-07-10}}</ref> On 23 July 2012, Elbow performed live at the observatory and filmed a documentary of the event and the facility which was released as a live CD/DVD of the concert.
On 6 July 2013, Transmission 4 featured Australian Pink Floyd, Hawkwind, The Time & Space Machine and The Lucid Dream.<ref name="transmission4">{{cite web | url=https://ramzine.co.uk/news/support-acts-confirmed-for-the-australian-pink-floyd-jodrell-bank-show/  | title=Support Acts Confirmed for The Australian Pink Floyd Jodrell Bank Show | date=6 May 2013 | access-date=2023-04-16}}</ref> On 7 July 2013, Transmission 5 featured New Order, Johnny Marr, The Whip, Public Service Broadcasting, Jake Evans and Hot Vestry.<ref name="transmission5">{{cite web | url=https://www.efestivals.co.uk/festivals/jodrellbank/2013neworder | title=New Order – Live from Jodrell Bank | access-date=2022-08-04}}</ref> On 30 August 2013, Transmission 6 featured Sigur Ros, Polca and Daughter.<ref name="transmission6">{{cite web | url=https://gigwise.com/reviews/83922/daughter-polica-&-sigur-ros-@-jodrell-bank---30082013 | title=Daughter, Polica & Sigur Ros @ Jodrell Bank – 30/08/2013 | access-date=2023-04-16}}</ref>

On 31 August 2013, Jodrell Bank hosted a concert performed by the [[The Hallé|Hallé Orchestra]] to commemorate what would have been Lovell's 100th birthday. As well as a number of operatic performances during the day, the evening Halle performance saw numbers such as themes from ''[[Star Trek]]'', ''[[Star Wars]]'' and ''[[Doctor Who]]'' among others. The main Lovell telescope was rotated to face the onlooking crowd and used as a huge projection screen showing various animated planetary effects. During the interval the 'screen' was used to show a history of Lovell's work and Jodrell Bank.<ref>{{cite web |last1=OFlynn |first1=Elaine |last2=Greer |first2=Stuart |title=Pictures: Hallé Orchestra stars light up Jodrell Bank |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/music/pictures-hall-orchestra-stars-light-5827451 |website=Manchester Evening News |access-date=7 December 2022 |date=2 September 2013}}</ref>

There is an astronomy [[podcast]] from the observatory, named ''The [[Jodcast]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.jodcast.net | title=The Jodcast | publisher=Jodrell Bank Observatory| access-date=2007-06-08}}</ref> The [[BBC]] television programme ''[[Stargazing Live]]'' was hosted in the control room of the observatory from 2011 to 2016.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-20958297 |work=BBC News |title=Stargazing Live: Behind the scenes at Jodrell Bank |date=9 January 2013 |access-date= 14 January 2013}}</ref>

Since 2016, the observatory hosted [[Bluedot Festival|Bluedot]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.discoverthebluedot.com/info/travel|title=Travel|website=Bluedot Festival|access-date=2019-07-09}}</ref> a music and science festival, featuring musical acts such as [[Public Service Broadcasting (band)|Public Service Broadcasting]], [[The Chemical Brothers]], as well as talks by scientists and scientific communicators such as [[Jim Al-Khalili]] and [[Richard Dawkins]].

== 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, was considering withdrawing its planned £2.7 million annual funding of Jodrell Bank's [[MERLIN#e-MERLIN|e-MERLIN]] project. The project, which aimed to replace the [[microwave]] links between Jodrell Bank and a number of other radio telescopes with high-bandwidth [[Optical fiber|fibre-optic]] cables, greatly increasing the sensitivity of observations, was seen as critical to the survival of the facility. [[Bernard Lovell]] said "It will be a disaster … The fate of the Jodrell Bank telescope is bound up with the fate of e-MERLIN. I don't think the establishment can survive if the e-MERLIN funding is cut".<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/7281176.stm | title=Jodrell Bank fears funding loss | work=[[BBC News]] | date= 6 March 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article3500905.ece | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513092756/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article3500905.ece | url-status=dead | archive-date=13 May 2008 | title=Professor Sir Bernard Lovell condemns 'disastrous' plan to close Jodrell Bank | work=[[The Times]] | date=7 March 2008 | location=London | first1=Lewis | last1=Smith | first2=Sam | last2=Coates | access-date=2010-05-06}}</ref>

On 9 July 2008, it was reported that, following an independent review, STFC had reversed its initial position and would now guarantee funding of £2.5 million annually for three years.<ref name="timesrescuedeal">{{cite news |title=Deal to rescue Jodrell Bank helps Britain see its future in the stars |work=The Times |date=9 July 2008 |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article4297239.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013075757/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article4297239.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 October 2008}}</ref>

== Fictional references ==
Jodrell Bank has been mentioned in several works of fiction, including ''[[Doctor Who]]'' (''[[The Tenth Planet]]'', ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks]]'', "[[The Poison Sky]]", "[[The Eleventh Hour (Doctor Who)|The Eleventh Hour]]", "[[Spyfall (Doctor Who)|Spyfall]]") and ''Birthday Boy'' by [[David Baddiel]]. It was intended to be a filming location for ''[[Logopolis]]'' ([[Tom Baker]]'s final ''Doctor Who'' serial) but budget restrictions prevented this and another location with a superimposed model of a radio telescope was used instead. It was also mentioned in ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]''<ref name="hitchhiker">Adams, ''Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'', p. 30–31</ref> (as well as [[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (film)|''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' film]]), ''[[The Creeping Terror]]'' and ''[[Meteor (film)|Meteor]]''.

Jodrell Bank was also featured heavily in the 1983 music video "[[Secret Messages (song)|Secret Messages]]" by [[Electric Light Orchestra]] and also "[[Are We Ourselves?]]" by [[The Fixx]]. The [[Prefab Sprout]] song Technique (from debut album Swoon) opens with the line "Her husband works at Jodrell Bank/He's home late in the morning".

The observatory is the site of several episodes in the novel ''[[Boneland]]'' by the local novelist [[Alan Garner]] (2012), and the central character, Colin Whisterfield, is an astrophysicist on its staff.

Jodrell bank made an appearance in the CBBC series ''[[Bitsa]]''.{{citation needed|date=November 2024}}

==Appraisal==
Since 13 July 1988 the Lovell Telescope has been designated as a Grade I [[Listed building#England and Wales|listed building]].<ref>{{National Heritage List for England|num= 1221685|desc= Jodrell Bank Observatory: Lovell Telescope|access-date=16 July 2017 |mode=cs2}}</ref> On 10 July 2017 the [[Mark II (radio telescope)|Mark II Telescope]] was also designated at the same grade.<ref>{{National Heritage List for England|num= 1443087|desc= Jodrell Bank Observatory: Mark II Telescope|access-date=16 July 2017 |mode=cs2|fewer-links=yes}}</ref> On the same date five other buildings on the site were designated at Grade II; namely the Searchlight Telescope,<ref>{{National Heritage List for England|num= 1443133|desc= Jodrell Bank Observatory: 71MHz Searchlight Aerial|access-date=16 July 2017 |mode=cs2|fewer-links=yes}}</ref> the Control Building,<ref>{{National Heritage List for England|num= 1443868|desc= Jodrell Bank Observatory: Control Building|access-date=16 July 2017 |mode=cs2|fewer-links=yes}}</ref> the Park Royal Building,<ref>{{National Heritage List for England|num= 1443093|desc= Jodrell Bank Observatory: Park Royal Building|access-date=16 July 2017 |mode=cs2|fewer-links=yes}}</ref> the Electrical Workshop,<ref>{{National Heritage List for England|num= 1444238|desc= Jodrell Bank Observatory: Electrical Workshop (Former Main Office)|access-date=16 July 2017 |mode=cs2|fewer-links=yes}}</ref> and the Link Hut.<ref>{{National Heritage List for England|num= 1443486|desc= Jodrell Bank Observatory: Link Hut (Cosmic Noise Hut)|access-date=16 July 2017 |mode=cs2|fewer-links=yes}}</ref> Grade I is the highest of the three grades of listing, and is applied to buildings that are of "exceptional interest", and Grade&nbsp;II, the lowest grade, is applied to buildings "of special interest".<ref>{{Citation | url = https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/what-is-designation/| title = What is Listing? | access-date = 16 July 2017| publisher = Historic England}}</ref>

At the 43rd Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Baku on 7 July 2019, the Jodrell Bank Observatory was adopted as a World Heritage Site on the basis of 4 criteria<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/archive/2019/whc19-43com-18en.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=25 July 2019 |archive-date=25 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190725025841/https://whc.unesco.org/archive/2019/whc19-43com-18en.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Criterion (i): Jodrell Bank Observatory is a masterpiece of human creative genius related to its scientific and technical achievements. 
* Criterion (ii): Jodrell Bank Observatory represents an important interchange of human values over a span of time and on a global scale on developments 
* Criterion (iv): Jodrell Bank Observatory represents an outstanding example of a technological ensemble which illustrates a significant stage in human history
* Criterion (vi): Jodrell Bank Observatory is directly and tangibly associated with events and ideas of outstanding universal significance.

== See also ==
{{portal|Cheshire}}
* [[Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory]]
* [[Extremely Large Telescope]]
* [[Fabra Observatory]]
* [[Griffith Observatory]]
* [[La Silla Observatory]]
* [[Llano de Chajnantor Observatory]]
* [[Paranal Observatory]]
* [[Very Large Telescope]]
* [[List of World Heritage Sites in the United Kingdom]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

=== Books ===
* {{cite book | first=Douglas | last=Adams | author-link=Douglas Adams | title=[[Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]—A Trilogy in Four Parts | publisher=Pan Books | date=1986 | 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}}
* {{cite book | first=Bernard | last=Lovell | title=Story of Jodrell Bank | date=1968 | publisher=Oxford University Press | isbn=0-19-217619-6 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/storyofjodrellba00love }}
* {{cite book | first=Bernard | last=Lovell | title=Out of the Zenith: Jodrell Bank, 1957–70 | date=1973 | publisher=Oxford University Press | isbn=0-19-217624-2}}
* {{cite book | first=Bernard | last=Lovell | title=The Jodrell Bank Telescopes | date=1985 | publisher=Oxford University Press | isbn=0-19-858178-5}}
* {{cite book | last=Lovell | first=Bernard | date=1990| title=Astronomer by Chance | publisher=Macmillan | location=London | isbn=0-333-55195-8}}
* {{cite book | last=Piper | first=Roger | orig-year=1965 | title=The Story of Jodrell Bank | edition=Carousel | date=1972 | isbn=0-552-54028-5 | publisher=Carousel | location=London}}
* {{cite book | last=Pullan | first=Brian |author2=Abendstern, Michele | date=2000 | title=A history of the University of Manchester 1951–1973 | publisher=[[Manchester University Press]] | isbn=0-7190-5670-5}}

=== Journal articles ===
* {{cite journal | first=H. P. | last=Palmer |author2=B. Rowson | title=The Jodrell Bank Mark III Radio Telescope | doi= 10.1038/217021a0 | journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] | date=1968 | volume=217 | pages=21–22|bibcode = 1968Natur.217...21P | issue=5123| s2cid=4282648 }}

==External links==
{{commons category|Jodrell Bank Observatory}}
* [http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/ Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics]
* [http://www.jodrellbank.net/ Jodrell Bank Visitor Centre]
* [https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/manchesteruniversity/data/gb133-jba Jodrell Bank Observatory Archives] at [[University of Manchester Library]].

{{Jodrell Bank Observatory}}
{{University of Manchester}}
{{Cheshire}}
{{Major Scientific Research Facilities based in the United Kingdom}}
{{radio-astronomy|state=collapsed}}
{{World Heritage Sites in the United Kingdom}}

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[[Category:Jodrell Bank Observatory| ]]
[[Category:Radio observatories]]
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