Haystack Observatory

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Haystack Observatory

Organization	Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Location	Westford, Massachusetts (USA)
Coordinates	42°37′6.81″N, 71°29′29.10″W
Altitude	meters (feet)
Webpage	[1]
Telescopes
Unnamed Telescope	Unknown size reflector

Haystack Observatory is a group of astronomical observatories owned and operated by Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is located in Westford, Massachusetts (USA). It is the home of the Millstone Hill Observatory.

It has a 120ft (37m), 171-tonne radio telescope, contained within what was the largest metal-frame radome. It was constructed for use in space tracking and communication in 1964. In addition, Millstone Hill is the location for two of the most well-known incoherent scatter radars in the world. These include a fully-steerable 46 meter antenna, and a 67 meter fixed zenith antenna. These radars are capable of measuring a vast array of ionospheric components, including temperature, ion concentrations, and solar wind data. Data from Millstone Hill is publicly available on the MADRIGAL database, an upper atmosphere data system managed by MIT Haystack.

Haystack Vallis on Mercury is named after this observatory.

[edit] See also

• List of observatories
• Haystack Observatory is at coordinates 42°37′07″N 71°29′29″W / 42.618557, -71.491417 (Haystack Observatory)Coordinates: 42°37′07″N 71°29′29″W / 42.618557, -71.491417 (Haystack Observatory)

[edit] References

1. Haystack Observatory Homepage. MIT Haystack Observatory. Retrieved on December 14, 2005.
2. "Finding a Needle with a Haystack", Time Magazine, 16 October 1964. Retrieved on 2007-04-07.