The Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) in Green Bank, West Virginia, US is the world’s largest fully steerable radio telescope. It is situated in the National Radio Quiet Zone, a unique area where authorities limit all radio transmissions to avoid emissions toward the GBT. The location of the telescope within the Radio Quiet Zone allows for the detection of faint radio-frequency signals from the universe, which man-made signals might otherwise mask. The observatory borders National Forest land, and the Allegheny Mountains shield it from some radio interference. The telescope’s location has been the site of important radio astronomy telescopes since 1957. It currently houses seven additional telescopes, and in spite of its somewhat remote location, receives about 40,000 visitors each year, from high school students to PhD candidates to visiting researchers. Since October 1, 2016, the telescope has been operated by the newly separated Green Bank Observatory to deal with pending budget cuts. The telescope honors the name of the late Senator Robert C. Byrd who represented West Virginia and who pushed the funding of the telescope through Congress.
Michael Holstine on the Green Bank Telescope and listening to the whispers of the universe
In Other News…
VLA Helps Astronomers Make New Discoveries About Star-Shredding Events
New studies using the VLA and other telescopes have added to our knowledge of what happens when a black hole shreds a star, but also have raised new questions that astronomers must tackle.
Radio Telescope is So Powerful it Can See the Surface of Other Worlds
Get ready for close-up surface images of distant planets in our solar system.
Next Generation VLA Endorsed by Canadian Panel
The Canadian Astronomy Long Range Plan 2020-2030, a report on priorities and recommendations for Canadian astronomy over the next decade, has recommended that Canada support the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s (NRAO) proposed Next Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA), saying the new facility will enable transformational science across many areas of astrophysics.
The ITL Expects to Create 35 Businesses Between the Third and Tenth Year of Operation
The former Minister of Energy, Ricardo Raineri, who also has a long career as a professor and university researcher and international consultant, was appointed by the American consortium Associated Universities Inc. (AUI) as Director of Development and responsible for executing the installation stage from the Institute of Clean Technologies (ITL).
This Insane Picture of The Moon Was Actually Taken From Earth
A test of a powerful new space imaging instrument has given us a gloriously detailed new perspective of the Apollo 15 Moon landing site.
Successful Test Paves Way for New Planetary Radar
The National Science Foundation’s Green Bank Observatory (GBO) and National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), and Raytheon Intelligence & Space conducted a test in November to prove that a new radio telescope system can capture high-resolution images in near-Earth space.
The Very Large Array: Astronomical Shapeshifter
In order to study a wide range of astronomical phenomena, the VLA has several shapes or configurations, each with its own advantages.
ALMA Takes First Step Toward Return to Service
Personnel at the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile have begun the process of returning the facility to an active observational status, following the shutdown caused by COVID-19 in March of 2020.
Adam Cohen, president of the entity that won the Corfo tender: “Our goal is to generate between 25 to 50 new companies in 10 years”
With the focus on putting the Clean Technologies Institute (ICTL) into operation soon is the Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI), the entity that won the Corfo tender that is being questioned by another of the consortiums that was in competition.
CORFO Selects AUI to Build and Manage the Chilean Instituto de Tecnologías Limpias
Santiago, Chile—On January 4th, the Corporación de Fomento de la Producción de Chile (CORFO) Council met to award the Chilean Instituto de Tecnologías Limpias (ICTL) construction, management, and operations to AUI.