Green Bank Telescope
Overview
Radio telescope
A radio telescope is a form of directional radio antenna used in radio astronomy. The same types of antennas are also used in tracking and collecting data from satellites and space probes...
and the world's largest land-based movable structure. It is part of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center of the United States National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc for the purpose of radio astronomy...
(NRAO) site at Green Bank
Green Bank, West Virginia
Green Bank is a census-designated place in Pocahontas County in West Virginia's Potomac Highlands inside the Allegheny Mountain Range. Green Bank is located along WV 28. Green Bank is also close to the Snowshoe Mountain ski resort...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, USA. The telescope honors the name of the late Senator Robert C. Byrd.
The current telescope was built following the collapse of the previous Green Bank telescope, a 90.44m paraboloid
Paraboloid
In mathematics, a paraboloid is a quadric surface of special kind. There are two kinds of paraboloids: elliptic and hyperbolic. The elliptic paraboloid is shaped like an oval cup and can have a maximum or minimum point....
. The previous telescope collapsed on 15 November 1988 due to the sudden loss of a gusset plate
Gusset plate
Gusset plates are thick sheets of steel that are used to connect beams and girders to columns or to connect truss members . A gusset plate can be fastened to a permanent member either by bolts, rivets or welding or a combination of the three . Gusset plates not only serve as a method of joining...
in the box girder assembly, which was a key component for the structural integrity
Structural engineering
Structural engineering is a field of engineering dealing with the analysis and design of structures that support or resist loads. Structural engineering is usually considered a specialty within civil engineering, but it can also be studied in its own right....
of the telescope.
The telescope sits at the heart of the United States National Radio Quiet Zone
United States National Radio Quiet Zone
The United States National Radio Quiet Zone is a large area of land surrounding the National Radio Astronomy Observatory at Green Bank, West Virginia, and especially the large Green Bank Telescope radio telescope. The Radio Quiet Zone is a rectangle of land approximately in size that straddles...
, a large area where all radio transmissions are either limited or banned outright, to help the telescope function properly.
The surface area of the GBT is a 100 by 110 meter active surface
Active surface
An active surface is a surface of a radio telescope that is under active computer control of its shape.Large radio telescopes always bend during operation, due to their enormous weight and the fact that even the strongest materials are not perfectly stiff...
with 2,209 actuators (a small motor used to adjust the position) for the 2,004 surface panels.
Unanswered Questions
