MERLIN

The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network is an interferometer array of radio telescopes spread across England. The array is run from Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire by the University of Manchester on behalf of Science and Technology Facilities Council as a National Facility.The array consists of up to seven radio telescopes and includes the Lovell Telescope, Mark II, Cambridge, Defford, Knockin, Darnhall and Pickmere . The longest baseline is therefore 217 km and MERLIN can operate at frequencies between 151 MHz and 24 GHz. At a wavelength of 6 cm, MERLIN has a resolution of 40 milliarcseconds which is comparable to that of the HST at optical wavelengths.Some of the telescopes are occasionally used for EVN and VLBI observations in order to create an interferometer with even larger baselines, providing images with much greater angular resolution.