National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Astronomical observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia, US
The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is an astronomical research facility in Green Bank, West Virginia, that operates several radio telescopes across different parts of the United States. The most prominent instrument at the West Virginia site is the Green Bank Telescope, a movable dish with a diameter of 100 meters (328 feet), making it one of the largest fully steerable radio telescopes in the world.
The facility was founded in 1956 and began systematically observing the radio frequency spectrum from space in the late 1950s. The current Green Bank Telescope entered service in 2000, replacing an older telescope that collapsed in 1988.
The center offers public tours that let visitors enter control rooms and walk through displays showing how radio waves from space are captured. The surrounding area belongs to a protected zone where mobile phones and other devices are not allowed, making the site a very unusual experience for many people.
The site sits in the mountains of West Virginia, several hours by car from larger cities, and is best reached with a personal vehicle. Visitors should turn off or surrender all electronic devices before entering, as any radio interference can affect the sensitive measurements.
The telescope moves on tracks and can turn to face any direction in the sky, with its surface made of over 2,000 individual aluminum panels arranged precisely. The region around the observatory is one of the few areas in the US where no mobile phone network is available, which deliberately attracts some residents.
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