Interplanetary Scintillation Array
Encyclopedia
The Interplanetary Scintillation Array (IPS Array or Pulsar Array) was built at the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory
in 1967 and originally covered four acres (16,000 m²). It was extended in 1978 to nine, and re-furbished in 1989. It operates at 81.5 MHz (3.7 m wavelength), and is made up of 4096 dipoles in a phased array. 14 beams can map the northern sky in one day. Sheep are used to keep grass away from the aerials as a lawnmower would not fit. It was designed by Antony Hewish
to measure the high-frequency fluctuations of radio sources, originally for monitoring interplanetary scintillation
. Antony Hewish
received a Nobel prize
after the high time-resolution of the array allowed the detection of pulsars by Jocelyn Bell in 1967. The IPS has more recently been used to track and help forecast interplanetary weather, and specifically to monitor the solar wind. It is now essentially retired, and has lost significant fraction of its area. The telescope
was operated by the Cavendish Astrophysics Group
.
Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory
Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory is home to a number of large aperture synthesis radio telescopes, including the One-Mile Telescope, 5-km Ryle Telescope, and the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager...
in 1967 and originally covered four acres (16,000 m²). It was extended in 1978 to nine, and re-furbished in 1989. It operates at 81.5 MHz (3.7 m wavelength), and is made up of 4096 dipoles in a phased array. 14 beams can map the northern sky in one day. Sheep are used to keep grass away from the aerials as a lawnmower would not fit. It was designed by Antony Hewish
Antony Hewish
Antony Hewish FRS is a British radio astronomer who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1974 for his work on the development of radio aperture synthesis and its role in the discovery of pulsars...
to measure the high-frequency fluctuations of radio sources, originally for monitoring interplanetary scintillation
Interplanetary scintillation
In astronomy, interplanetary scintillation refers to random fluctuations in the intensity of radio waves of celestial origin, on the timescale of a few seconds. It is analogous to the twinkling one sees looking at stars in the sky at night, but in the radio part of the electromagnetic spectrum...
. Antony Hewish
Antony Hewish
Antony Hewish FRS is a British radio astronomer who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1974 for his work on the development of radio aperture synthesis and its role in the discovery of pulsars...
received a Nobel prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
after the high time-resolution of the array allowed the detection of pulsars by Jocelyn Bell in 1967. The IPS has more recently been used to track and help forecast interplanetary weather, and specifically to monitor the solar wind. It is now essentially retired, and has lost significant fraction of its area. The telescope
Telescope
A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...
was operated by the Cavendish Astrophysics Group
Cavendish Astrophysics Group
The Cavendish Astrophysics Group is based at the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge. The group operates all of the telescopes at the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory except for the 32m MERLIN telescope, which is operated by Jodrell Bank.The group is the second largest of three...
.