The Chilbolton Observatory

The Chilbolton Observatory is a research facility that does studies into radio science, and also climate and weather.  The facility is owned by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), and operated by the Chilbolton Group of the RAL Space Department at the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire.

The Chilbolton Observatory was established on the site of the disbanded Chilbolton Airfield in the mid 1960s. The main research tool is the 25m fully steerable antenna (most commonly referred to as the Dish).  The pioneering 3 GHz Doppler-polarisation radar is installed on this antenna, along with the 1275MHz clear air radar.  These together make up the largest fully steerable weather radar in the world.  The 3GHz weather radar is able to determine the shape and orientation of precipitation particles in the atmosphere up to a range of 100 miles from Chilbolton.  This information is of significant interest to meteorologists, climatologists, and radio system planners.

The 94GHz and 35GHz cloud radars are located alongside the main dish. These radars make a powerful combination for studying cloud, ice and rain as it passes over Chilbolton. There are several lidar systems, which operate in a similar way to a radar but transmit a laser beam rather than radio or microwaves. This makes them sensitive to smaller particles in the atmosphere such as dust, pollution and the small water droplets in clouds. A suite of meteorological instruments and cameras on the same site supports them.  There are also a number of instrumented microwave communication satellite beacon receivers, which are used to help in satellite communication studies.

The atmospheric science, hydrology and Earth Observation communities around the world use Chilbolton Observatory to conduct research in weather, flooding and climate.

The location just outside Chilbolton met with an early essential requirement that the antenna be constructed away from major roads or towns to minimize radio frequency interference that would upset the sensitive radio measurements that were to be made.  The antenna was built so large because it needed to be sensitive enough to pick up the faint signals emitted by radio stars far away in space.  It also means that it is well capable of picking up Sky television and Radio 1.

Lots more information can be found on their website, as well as real time data from the meteorological instruments, radars and lidars.

 www.stfc.ac.uk/chilbolton

You can also find out more information about STFC (the parent organization) from www.stfc.ac.uk.