Photo – Page 59 – National Radio Astronomy Observatory

300-foot Masterpiece

The 300-foot telescope in Green Bank, West Virginia after its completion in September 1962.

This aerial photograph was taken three years after the 300-foot telescope was completed in Green Bank, West Virginia. The trackway for the Green Bank Interferometer (GBI) can be seen, and off to the left would have been the second 85-foot Blaw Knox telescope, the 85-2, that formed our first interferometer.

Paving the Way for Serious Research

When the 300-foot Telescope was completed in 1962, it quickly became a busy instrument used by astronomers from around the world. It was the world’s largest single-dish telescope, and certainly an impressive view for staff and residents of Green Bank, West Virginia.

Traveling Feed

The 300-foot telescope in Green Bank, West Virginia observed cosmic radio sources by riding the Earth turning underneath them, bringing them into its field of view for about 40 seconds. The receiver feeds of the 300-foot were on a small mount that drove against the Earth’s direction of spin, letting them track cosmic radio sources for a few extra minutes of observing time before the spinning Earth dragged the telescope too far out from underneath the source. In this photo, workers are readying that traveling feed for installation.

Aerial View of a Field of Aerials

In Green Bank, West Virginia sits a field of 64 antennas made by our machinists. These antennas are searching the distant Universe for the first starlight the Cosmos ever produced, billions of years ago. The project is called PAPER, the Precision Array for Probing the Epoch of Reionization. It is a partnership between NRAO staff scientists and scientists at UC-Berkeley, the University of Virginia, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Square Kilometer Array of South Africa.

View from the Cherry Picker

Daryl Shinaberry rides the cherry picker in Green Bank, West Virginia as part of routine inspection and maintenance of the antennas. In the background is the 20-meter robotic telescope used for student research projects.

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the U.S. National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.
	Founded in 1956, the NRAO provides state-of-the-art radio telescope facilities for use by the international scientific community. NRAO telescopes are open to all astronomers regardless of institutional or national affiliation. Observing time on NRAO telescopes is available on a competitive basis to qualified scientists after evaluation of research proposals on the basis of scientific merit, the capability of the instruments to do the work, and the availability of the telescope during the requested time. NRAO also provides both formal and informal programs in education and public outreach for teachers, students, the general public, and the media.
	The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense..."
	AUI collaborates with the scientific community and research sponsors to plan, build, and operate cutting-edge facilities. We cultivate excellence, deliver value, enhance education, and engage the public.