Mark II (radio telescope)

The Mark II is a radio telescope located at Jodrell Bank Observatory, near Goostrey, Cheshire, in the north-west of England. It was built on the site of the 218 ft (66.4 m) Transit Telescope. Construction was completed in 1964. The telescope's design was used as the basis of the 60ft Goonhilly 1 telescope,Lovell, Jodrell Bank Telescopes, p. 224 and the Mark III telescope is also based on a similar design.Lovell, Jodrell Bank Telescopes, p. 12

The original dish surface of the telescope was more accurate than the Lovell Telescope's at the time it was made, meaning that it was better suited for observations at higher frequencies. As well as operating as a solo instrument, it has been used as an interferometer with the Lovell Telescope, which provides a 425m baseline. It is commonly used as part of the Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN), and for Very Long Baseline Interferometry observations.

Design and construction

The telescope was designed by Charles Husband at the instigation of Bernard Lovell, with design work starting around September 1960.Lovell, Jodrell Bank Telescopes, p. 12 Funding for the construction of the telescope was requested on the 19 December 1960,<ref...
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