History
Follow the observatory from Bernard Lovell's first radar experiments in 1945 to a working research and heritage site.
ExploreJodrell Bank Observatory · Cheshire, England
About Jodrell Bank
An introduction to Jodrell Bank Observatory, its development, its telescopes, its scientific work and its World Heritage status.
Jodrell Bank is a University of Manchester radio astronomy site. It began in December 1945, is home to the 76-metre Lovell Telescope and the headquarters of the e-MERLIN national facility, and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2019.
Research operations, public engagement and the independent Square Kilometre Array Observatory headquarters share the wider site, but they are distinct organisations with different responsibilities.
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Explore Jodrell Bank
Each article has a distinct focus. Follow the links between them where history, facilities, science and heritage meet.
The Observatory
Understand the Lovell Telescope, e-MERLIN, the site's other instruments and the organisations that share Jodrell Bank.
ExploreScientific Achievements
Explore a selected set of documented contributions, from meteor research and space tracking to lenses and pulsars.
ExploreUNESCO World Heritage
Learn what UNESCO inscribed in 2019, why the site has Outstanding Universal Value and how it is managed.
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