Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory

Just outside Cambridge, England, the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory is home to some of the largest and most advanced radio telescopes in the world, run by the University of Cambridge.

About Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory

The Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory (MRAO) is part of the University of Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory, within its Astrophysics Department. Rather than a single telescope, the site hosts an array of aperture synthesis radio telescopes, instruments that combine signals from multiple antennas to achieve a level of detail no single dish could match on its own.

Telescopes & research

MRAO's instruments include the One-Mile Telescope, the 5-km Ryle Telescope, and the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager - together placing the observatory among the world's most capable sites for aperture synthesis radio astronomy.

Location & getting there

The observatory sits just outside Cambridge, United Kingdom, on open land suited to the wide antenna arrays that radio astronomy requires.

Visiting Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory

As a working University of Cambridge research facility, MRAO isn't a general tourist site. If you're interested in visiting or attending an open event, check with the University of Cambridge's Astrophysics Department for current access arrangements.

See your named star from here

MRAO's telescopes are tuned to radio waves rather than visible light, so they aren't built for spotting a named star by eye. If you've named a star with star-register.eu, you'll find its exact coordinates in our catalogue for use with an optical telescope or stargazing app, and you can start a new naming through our packages.