Green Bank Telescope

The Green Bank Telescope is a 100-meter fully steerable radio telescope at the Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia. Its unblocked aperture and radio-quiet setting support sensitive observations across a broad range of radio frequencies.

Offset Gregorian telescope: A telescope design that places its secondary mirror and support structures outside the primary mirror’s incoming beam. The telescope’s off-axis reflector avoids blockage by support structures.
Neutral hydrogen line: The 21-centimeter spectral line emitted by neutral hydrogen atoms when their electron and proton spins change alignment. The telescope can map this line to study hydrogen in the Milky Way and beyond.
Green Bank Observatory: A radio astronomy research facility in Green Bank, West Virginia, operating telescopes and scientific programs. The observatory operates and hosts the Green Bank Telescope.
Very Large Array: An interferometric radio telescope in New Mexico composed of 27 movable antennas. Its many antennas synthesize resolution, while Green Bank uses one large collecting surface.
Radio telescope: An instrument that detects radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation from astronomical objects. The Green Bank instrument is a particularly large, steerable example.
Pulsar: A rotating neutron star that emits beams of radiation observed as regular pulses. The telescope’s sensitivity supports precise timing and searches for faint pulsars.
National Radio Astronomy Observatory: A United States research organization that operates major radio astronomy facilities. The observatory designed and initially operated the telescope as part of its research program.
Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array: A high-altitude array of radio antennas in Chile observing millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths. Its array architecture and shorter wavelengths differ from Green Bank’s single-dish approach.
Radio frequency: The part of the electromagnetic spectrum with frequencies below infrared light and above extremely low-frequency waves. Its receivers observe selected portions of this spectrum.
Fast radio burst: A brief, intense burst of radio emission originating beyond the Milky Way. Its wide frequency coverage and sensitivity help detect and study these transient signals.

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