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All the United States West Virginia Green Bank Green Bank Telescope
AO Edited

Green Bank Telescope

The world's largest fully steerable radio telescope.

Green Bank, West Virginia

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  Courtesy West Virginia Department of Tourism
  Courtesy West Virginia Department of Tourism
  Stacy Brunner/CC BY 2.0
Telescope at night   Jiuguang Wang/CC BY-SA 2.0
Green Bank Science Center   Tim Menzies/CC BY-SA 2.0
  Rick Wagner/CC BY 2.0
  Rick Wagner/CC BY 2.0
The Robert C. Bryd Green Bank telescope   http://www.gb.nrao.edu/gallery/gbt/main/te...
Green Bank Telescope   David Brossard/CC BY-SA 2.0
  paigeelizabeth3660 / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Dedicated in 2000, the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) is the most technically advanced single-dish radio telescope in the world. Its 110-meter by 100-meter dish boasts more than two acres of area for collecting incredibly faint radio waves from the universe.

Weighing 17 million pounds, the GBT is also one of the world's largest moving land structures. And since it is located within the National Radio Quiet Zone in West Virginia, the GBT's sensitive receiving system is well protected from radio frequency interference.

The GBT is a leader in the scientific study of pulsars, dense neutron stars that serve as laboratories in which astronomers study the physics of extreme states of matter and enormous magnetic fields. It can also detect the fingerprints of atoms and molecules far into the distant universe, yielding new knowledge about star formation, the structure and motions of gas in galaxies, and nature's fundamental constants.  And yes, they also lease time to the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) project, looking for signs of intelligent life...out there.

Related Tags

Instruments Of Science Telescopes Science Observatories Astronomy

Know Before You Go

The observatory website is very helpful in planning your visit. The entrance to the science center is right on Route 29 in the town of Green Bank, impossible to miss. There is a small fee for the science center and tours.

Community Contributors

Edited By

rugby007, MrCarl, GBTshieldmaiden, mbison...

  • rugby007
  • MrCarl
  • GBTshieldmaiden
  • mbison
  • paigeelizabeth3660
  • evanbonham
  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

June 19, 2009

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Sources
  • http://www.gb.nrao.edu
  • https://greenbankobservatory.org/
  • https://science.nrao.edu/facilities/gbt/
  • http://www.gb.nrao.edu/epo/gp/directions/gbdirections.pdf
  • https://www.google.com/maps/place/Green+Bank+Telescope/@38.4342506,-79.848709,7920m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m15!1m9!2m8!1sGreen+Bank+Telescope+!3m6!1sGreen+Bank+Telescope+!2s92+WV-28,+Moorefield,+WV+26836!3s0x89b53d16f3638037:0xaf81d27e8e608239!4m2!1d-79.0493882!2d38.9941964!3m4!1s0x884b6ecff9104eb9:0x3091683ec4a98833!8m2!3d38.4330817!4d-79.839176
Green Bank Telescope
155 Observatory Rd
Green Bank, West Virginia, 24944
United States
38.433082, -79.839176
Visit Website
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Nearby Places

Green Bank: A Town for 'Wi-Fi Refugees'

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Photo of Green Bank

Green Bank

West Virginia

Places 2

Nearby Places

Green Bank: A Town for 'Wi-Fi Refugees'

Green Bank, West Virginia

miles away

Cass Scenic Railroad

Cass, West Virginia

miles away

Thorny Mountain Fire Tower

Dunmore, West Virginia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Green Bank

Green Bank

West Virginia

Places 2

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