Haystack Observatory

Haystack Observatory
The Haystack Radio Telescope at Haystack Observatory
Alternative namesMIT Haystack Observatory Edit this at Wikidata
Organization
Observatory code 254 Edit this on Wikidata
LocationWestford, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°37′24″N 71°29′18″W / 42.6233°N 71.4882°W / 42.6233; -71.4882
Altitude131 m (430 ft) Edit this at Wikidata
Established1960 Edit this on Wikidata
Websitewww.haystack.mit.edu Edit this at Wikidata
Telescopes
Haystack Observatory is located in the United States
Haystack Observatory
Location of Haystack Observatory
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Haystack Observatory is a multidisciplinary radio science center, ionospheric observatory, and astronomical microwave observatory owned by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).[1] It is in Westford, Massachusetts, in the United States, about 45 kilometers (28 mi) northwest of Boston. The observatory was built by MIT's Lincoln Laboratory for the United States Air Force and was called the Haystack Microwave Research Facility.[2] Construction began in 1960, and the antenna began operating in 1964. In 1970 the facility was transferred to MIT, which then formed the Northeast Radio Observatory Corporation (NEROC) with other universities to operate the site as the Haystack Observatory. As of January 2012, a total of nine institutions participated in NEROC.[3]

The Haystack Observatory site is also the location of the Millstone Hill Geospace Facility, an atmospheric-sciences research center.[4] Lincoln Laboratory continues to use the site, which it calls the Lincoln Space Surveillance Complex (LSSC).[5] The George R. Wallace Astrophysical Observatory of MIT's Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences is south of the Haystack dome and east of the Westford dome.[6] The Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston has its clubhouse on the MIT property.[7]

Haystack Vallis on Mercury is named after this observatory.

  1. ^ Whitney, Alan R.; Lonsdale, Colin J.; Fish, Vincent L. (2014). "Insights into the Universe: Astronomy with Haystack's Radio Telescope" (PDF). Lincoln Laboratory Journal. 21 (1): 1–14.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference HAY-HIST was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference HAY-NERO was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference HAY-MILL was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference LL-FAC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference WALL was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference ATMOB was invoked but never defined (see the help page).