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The giant Lovell telescope at Jodrell Bank was built in 1957 by Sir Bernard Lovell.

The Lovell telescope

It was built out in the Cheshire countryside because the trams travelling past Manchester University were interfering with experiments into radio astronomy.

Jodrell Bank made a name for itself when it was the only telescope able to track Sputnik the first satellite put into space by the Russians.

In 1966 it pipped the Russians to the finishing line when they were able to print the first picture taken close up of the the moon by the Luna 9 probe.

View from the control room

Once again, the radio telescope was able to capture the radio waves sent back and convert them using a fax machine into the picture.

The telescope has helped astronomers all over the world to discover more about the universe. Using the huge dish scientists have learnt more about black holes and discovered dead stars.

It's so sensitive it would be able to pick up the radio waves from a mobile phone on Mars. Even the microwave oven used on site is in a metal box to prevent the leakage of microwaves interfering with the incoming signals.