Throwback Thursday: NRAO Green Bank Telescope

-
A very, very long time ago, Chris and I lived in Elkins, West Virginia. In 2008, the two of us drove 1-2 hours to visit the Green Bank Radio Astronomy Observatory located in the same state. I was a nerd-in-training then so the immensity of its importance didn't strike me at the time, but I still found the experience worth remembering. And I had fun taking pictures.


You are not allowed to use digital photography close up, so this is the best photo I got. The sun was setting. It made everything very picturesque. 

The telescope is used in a number of sciences including Chemistry and Physics. Here's what the website has to say about its use in Planetary Science:
When the GBT is used as a partner with a transmitting radar antenna, it can be used to map asteroids, moons, planets, and comets to a level of accuracy that is often better than spacecraft which are actually in orbit around those objects. Also, radar penetrates the soft surfaces on some of these worlds, giving geologists the kind of details they could only have gotten by landing on them. 
Visitors are guided on a tour throughout the facility. You can also take part in demonstrations at the science center on site. When the two of us went the educator provided a demonstration that involved pouring liquid nitrogen across the floor. It was COOL. Literally.

It's a neat place to check out. For more information on what projects the telescope is currently involved in, check out "Green Bank in the News." As an example, the GBT helped scientists discover that our Milky Way Galaxy is part of a super cluster of galaxies that stretches nearly 500 million light years across.

The site is open nearly every day (closed on major holidays) with varying hours depending on season. For more information, visit the Visit the GBT website.

If you've visited the GBT I'd love to see any of your photos! Feel free to leave them in a comment :-)


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Wolf Mountain Trail at Pedernales Falls State Park

-
Image
To most people, yesterday was Black Friday, a consumerist holiday that it seems like nearly every American store in existence participates in. Even pet stores have Black Friday sales. I remember all of our efforts at Petsmart while I worked there, getting hyped up about how great our sales would be. We would spend hours merchandising and getting things ready only to be sorely disappointed by sales by the end of the day. My attitude toward this tradition and toward consumerism in general has changed a lot since then. I had been quite happy to see so many nationwide retail outlets not open on Thanksgiving. I was even more appreciative when other retailers announced that they would be closed on the day after. One of our favorites, REI, was one such store. Last year, Chris and I spent our day after Thanksgiving hiking in Bastrop . This year, REI encouraged their employees and members to do the same thing with a campaign called #OptOutside. We were already planning on visiting a state pa
Read more

Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge

-
Image
Chris and I had a wonderful time today hiking a loop of trails at the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge . The area we ventured to is called Doeskin Ranch. While the refuge has a number of trails that are smaller in size, we opted to take portions of each trail and essentially travel a large loop around the area. Doeskin Ranch Trailhead Approximately 45 minutes from Austin, it is easy to get to. We didn't even use the GPS, just maps. Signs direct you to where you need to go. Very user friendly. Though the parking lot is a little small! Be sure to pick up a Doeskin Ranch Creek Trail self-guided tour brochure. There are nine numbered spots along the trail that you can view with corresponding educational information. Stop #1: Who's Home? We began at the Creek Trail, heading left and then south along the creek. The video at the start of this post features footage from that trail. Pictured above, this was once the home of settlers. Nature has sin
Read more

Puye Cliff Dwellings

-
Image
While Bandelier National Monument was relaxing and inviting, Chris and I were most definitely interested in additional exploration when it came to cliff dwellings and New Mexico's historic sites. Our schedule permitted us one destination on Tuesday. We could choose to visit the Taos Pueblo or Puye Cliff Dwellings . Although the Pueblo is supposed to be pretty spectacular, Chris and I are wary of crowds. The Taos Pueblo is a very popular place. Although it's filled with authentic Native American artisans and craftspeople, she and I felt more like we wanted a one on one experience doing something a little more exciting than shopping. Puye is beautiful . A Pueblo guide provides an intimate tour throughout the site. What I enjoyed most about it is that her experiences were firsthand. She is a direct descendant of the individuals who used to inhabit the cliff dwellings and her knowledge about the area was not only complete but also genuine. In fact, the people who used to
Read more