The dish and the great beyond!

The 64-metre Parkes Radio Telescope. Image: Stewart Duff

Welcome to the CSIRO Parkes Observatory

CSIRO’s Parkes Radio Telescope. Credit: David McClenaghan, CSIROParkes Observatory, just outside the central-west NSW town of Parkes, hosts Murriyang, our 64-metre Parkes radio telescope, one of the telescopes comprising CSIRO’s Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF).

An icon of Australian science, The Parkes telescope has been in operation since 1961 and continues to be at the forefront of astronomical discovery thanks to regular upgrades.

Astronomers from across Australia and around the world use Murriyang to undertake world-class astronomical science.

Also known as The Dish, the telescope operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

CSIRO’s Parkes telescope. Photo: David McClenaghan, CSIRO

Parkes: six decades of discovery Six decades after starting work, Parkes is still one of the world's leading radio telescopes. Read about its history of achievements.
Antennas of CSIRO’s ASKAP telescope. Photo: Ant Schinckel, CSIRO

Find out more
CSIRO is Australia's national science agency, and operates the ATNF for the Australian and international scientific communities. Find out more about CSIRO’s research into Understanding the Universe.