One of the nice things about taking a small vacation is that I get to do some of the things that I like to do. We went on a brief road trip to eastern West Virginia recently and that area is beautiful almost beyond description. We spent several days staying at various state parks, enjoying the hiking and history of the area.
Then there is this:
That huge thing poking up from a fairly remote valley is the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope. According to their website, it is an off-center fed steerable dish with a 100-meter diameter collecting area. The surface accuracy provides excellent sensitivity within the 290 MHz to 118 GHz operating frequency range. It has a 61-meter (200-foot) feed arm, making the entire structure 148 meters (485 feet) tall.
The dish reflector area is a 100 x 110 meter (330 x 362 foot) section of a 208-meter (682 foot) diameter symmetric paraboloid. The surface area consists of 2209 solid aluminum panels, each with its own actuator to adjust the surface and compensate for gravity, which distorts the paraboloid differently depending on the elevation angle. Maximum distortion occurs in the full horizontal (bird bath) and the maximum vertical elevations. The surface accuracy is better than 50 micrometers, allowing for efficient operation into the 118 GHz region. The total collection area is 9,300 square meters or 2.3 acres. As they say, “We could detect a cellphone in airplane mode on Saturn.”
In other words, it is large.
The Green Bank Observatory is located in the Nation Radio Quiet Zone which stratles the WV/VA border. The area within a 10-mile diameter of the GBT is closely monitored and regulated. Even WiFi at the nearby Green Bank public library is not available. All of the computer networks in the facility are cabled Ethernet. There are no broadcast stations and cell towers are very restricted.
One bonus for going on vacation in the National Radio Quiet Zone; no phone calls, text messages, or annoying email alerts while out enjoying the natural beauty of the area. A vacation without interruption is truly relaxing.
The Green Bank Observatory has several other radio telescopes on site researching several areas. The original Reber Radio Telescope (named after its builder, Grote Reber) is displayed by the visitors center. The Reber Telescope is considered the first radio telescope purposefully constructed and it dates from 1937.
If you are interested in science, technical stuff, or just like to go stare at giant receive dishes, I highly recommend a visit.
That is amazing. There used to be a second NRQZ near Table Mountain in Colorado. I don’t see much information about it on Wikipedia, but other searches bring up some vague information. Also glad to know I am not the only one who loves being out of cell phone range and nerdy vacations!! =)
Check out the Cass Scenic Railroad just down the street
Indeed, Mike. We stayed in Cass one night in a company house. It was interesting.
Here is a video of the Cass Scenic Railroad train leaving the station:
https://youtu.be/7MN_Mrokgko?si=h5s5K4vDQlEHpAfF