OVRO 40 meter Telescope, Radio telescope at Owens Valley Observatory, California, United States
The OVRO 40 meter Telescope is a radio telescope at Owens Valley Observatory in California that receives radio waves from distant cosmic sources with its large dish antenna. The facility operates continuously and tracks the behavior of objects across the sky to study their properties over time.
Construction was funded by the National Science Foundation as a prototype for a planned eight-dish interferometer at Owens Valley. The 40-metre dish was completed in 1968, but the interferometer plan was cancelled in favour of the Very Large Array. The prototype was then combined with existing Owens Valley telescopes into a smaller interferometer with a 1.21 km maximum baseline, and from 1969 it also served as a VLBI station until 1991.
The California Institute of Technology manages this scientific facility, contributing to astronomical research and education in the United States.
The telescope sits in Owens Valley north of Big Pine, reachable from Highway 395. Visitors should be aware of the remote location and harsh desert conditions that may affect a visit.
The 1996 film The Arrival used the observatory as a set, and its climactic fight was staged inside the 40-metre dish, on the primary mirror itself. The telescope is also easy to pick out from US Highway 395 just north of Big Pine.
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