![]() In addition to NSF funding, the Green Bank Observatory also is funded by its collaborations with Breakthrough Listen, West Virginia University, and the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav). “The Green Bank Observatory and AUI are now poised to collaborate more readily with researchers, academic institutions, government agencies, entrepreneurs, and other organisations that can benefit from using these world-class facilities.” Now as an independent observatory, Green Bank is returning to its roots and will pursue new projects, support a wider array of research, and take on new challenges at the leading edge of astronomy,” said Ethan Schreier, president and CEO of AUI. “AUI established the National Radio Astronomy Observatory here in Green Bank in 1956, and NRAO expanded through the years to other sites in the United States and Chile. During its 60-year history, Green Bank has been home to some of the world’s most innovative and productive radio telescopes. national observatory funded by NSF and an essential step in advancing fundamental research in the United States. Green Bank launched the modern era of radio astronomy when the site was founded in 1956. “As we move on to new horizons, the scientists, engineers, educators, and others in Green Bank share a renewed excitement about the future and a desire to carry on this legacy of discovery and innovation.” “Many of the most transformative discoveries in all of astronomy happened here in Green Bank,” said Karen O’Neil, director of the Green Bank Observatory. Image credit: AUI/NRAO/GBO.Astronomers have just celebrated the inauguration of the Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia, home to the 100-metre Green Bank Telescope, one of the world’s most powerful astronomical instruments.įormerly a cornerstone of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), the Green Bank Observatory is now a fully-fledged, independent astronomical and educational facility of the National Science Foundation (NSF), operated under a cooperative agreement with Associated Universities, Inc. It is also the world’s largest land-based moveable structure. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT), inaugurated in 2001, is the world’s largest fully steerable radio telescope. "When it comes to developing strategies for possible impacts, having more warning time is everything."įollow Stefanie Waldek on Twitter. "With the high-power system, we could study more objects much further away," Patrick said. "The asteroid is about a kilometer in size, which is large enough to cause global devastation should there be an impact."Īnd radar is a vital tool for astronomers looking to precisely map an asteroid's trajectory and evaluate whether it poses a threat to Earth. "In our tests, we were able to zero in on an asteroid 2.1 million kilometers away from us - more than five times the distance from the Earth to the moon," Taylor said. The team tested the prototype on a space rock as well as the moon. US planetary radar may get a boost from Green Bank Observatory Just how many threatening asteroids are there? It's complicated. Ground-based radar could be one of our best tools against asteroids, new decadal survey finds
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