MIT Haystack Observatory
The MIT Haystack Observatory of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Westford, Massachusetts is an astronomical observatory with radio telescopes.
It was built from 1960 and was initially the microwave research station of the Lincoln Laboratory of MIT and was operated by the US Air Force. The Haystack radio telescope with an antenna diameter of 37 m was built in 1964, then used for satellite tracking and satellite communication and today for astronomy. In 1970 the facility was handed over to MIT, which teamed up with several other East Coast universities and operated it as the Haystack Observatory as part of the Northeast Radio Observatory Corporation (NEROC) . In 2012, nine institutions were involved. In addition to the Haystack telescope, there is also the Westford telescope (antenna diameter 18.3 m), which was built in 1961 and is used for geodetic purposes.
In addition to the Haystack radio telescope, the Millstone Hill Observatory for observations of the atmosphere is on site . It is also operated by the Lincoln Laboratory as part of the Lincoln Space Surveillance Complex (LSSC). They have their own antennas, but also use the Haystack telescope (as Long Range Imaging Radar, LRIR, and Haystack Ultrawideband Satellite Imaging Radar, HUSIR).
The data evaluation for the Event Horizon Telescope takes place here and at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy .