The Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope (MOST) is operated by the School of Physics of the University of Sydney. The telescope is located near Canberra, and was constructed by modification of the East-West arm of the former One-Mile Mills Cross telescope. Construction of the original telescope was begun in 1960 by Emeritus Professor Bernard Y. Mills; in recognition of this pioneering work and other innovative contributions to radio astronomy Bernie Mills was awarded the 2006 Grote Reber medal.

Photo: Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope

MOST is a leg of Around the World in 80 Telescopes tour: Click to play; click  (lower right) to view video full screen Next stop: McDonald (previous stop: NOAO South)

The MOST consists of two cylindrical paraboloids, 778m x 12m, separated by 15m and aligned East-West. A line feed system of 7744 circular dipoles collects the signal and feeds 176 preamplifiers and 88 IF amplifiers. The telescope is steered by mechanical rotation of the cylindrical paraboloids about their long axis, and by phasing the feed elements along the arms. The resulting `alt-alt' system can follow a field for +/- 6 hours (necessary for a complete synthesis with an East-West array) only if the field is south of declination -30 degrees. For fields near this limit the signal-to-noise ratio is lower for the first and last hour or so due to the lower gain of the system at large `meridian distance' angles.
 

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