Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

March 8, 1996
See Explanation.  Clicking on the picture will download 
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The 76 Meter Lovell Radio Telescope
Credit: University of Manchester, Nuffield Radio Astronomy Laboratories

Explanation: Jodrell Bank in England is the home of the Lovell Telescope one of the largest radio telescopes in the world. Completed in 1957 under the direction of Bernard Lovell, the 250 ft. diameter dish was the largest steerable radio telescope. The telescope has been used to monitor extremely faint radio emissions from space, including the transmissions of the Pioneer spacecraft in the distant Solar System. The telescope has been used in many astronomical investigations, including the determination of structure in local interstellar gas, searches for pulsars, determining molecular abundances towards the Galactic center, and mapping hydrogen emission in galaxies. Currently, the telescope is not really for sale.

Information: The Scale of the Universe Debate in April 1996
Tomorrow's picture: Arecibo: The Largest Telescope


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See Explanation.  Clicking on the picture will download 
 the highest resolution version available. See Explanation.  Clicking on the picture will download 
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 the highest resolution version available.

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (GMU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA).
NASA Technical Rep.: Sherri Calvo. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA/ GSFC