Medicina Radio Observatory, Radio observatory in Bologna, Italy.

Medicina Radio Observatory is a research facility near Bologna with a 32-meter parabolic antenna that detects signals between 1.4 and 23 GHz. The equipment is designed to capture radio waves from space objects for scientific study and analysis.

Construction of the Northern Cross began in summer 1963 and the instrument was inaugurated on 24 October 1964. It was designed by Marcello Ceccarelli, a physics professor at the University of Bologna, and the visitor centre near the observatory is now named after him. About twenty years later a 32-metre VLBI dish was erected on the same site, named in 2023 after Gavril Grueff.

Guided tours introduce visitors to how radio astronomy works and what researchers study here. These programs let people see the active work happening at the facility today.

The observatory is in Medicina, about 30 km from Bologna, and is reached by car. The site is outdoors and exposed, so bring clothing for changing weather. The visitor centre near the observatory is dedicated to Marcello Ceccarelli.

The Northern Cross is steerable only in declination, so it can observe solely objects culminating on the local celestial meridian. Its east-west arm is a single 560 m reflector with 1536 dipoles, while the north-south arm holds 64 reflectors and 4096 dipoles. The older receivers use a 2.5 MHz band, upgraded parts 16 MHz.