Green Bank Observatory

Listen to Associated Universities' latest podcast episode now! 🎙️🎧 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3FHijr7 Podbean: https://bit.ly/4jIHXuw YouTube: https://bit.ly/436ndr0 Join Patrick Taylor, radar division head at Green Bank Observatory, as he discusses how advancements in radar technology are enhancing our understanding of the Universe and influencing the future of space exploration.

Tickets are selling out fast for our SETI Tours! 📡👽 Upcoming SETI Tours (select Fridays at 1:00 PM): 🗓️ August 1 - SOLD OUT 🗓️ August 8 🗓️ August 15 - SOLD OUT 🗓️ August 22 🗓️ August 29 Come learn more about Green Bank’s historic role in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Grab your tickets before they sell out: 🔗 Link in Bio under "Tour & Program Tickets" https://lnkd.in/gfvGUGGD

Knock knock, who's there? An empty turret! As you may know, the Green Bank Telescope was sandblasted (with garnet dust!) over the past few weeks in preparation for painting. And in preparation for the sandblasting ... we had to take down as much sensitive equipment as we could! The receivers are particularly vulnerable – a single grain can disrupt the signal! Once the painting is complete, part of recommissioning the telescope will require getting the receivers and other equipment back up and reinstalled. About: The rotating turret sits atop a revolving cabin housing the GBT's receivers. Sticking up from the turret, toward the sky/subreflector, are the feed horns. Inside the receiver room hang the actual receivers and cables that carry the data to the backend computers in the control room.

🚧 Detours = gone 🪧 Trails = open! Thanks for bearing with us during the temporary trail closures! Sandblasting is COMPLETE on the GBT, which means all roads and trails are once again open. Next up is painting! 🎨 Keep your eyes peeled (or even bring some binoculars) and you might be treated to some cool views of work happening on the telescope 📡 👀 Our Walking Tour Map has been updated: https://lnkd.in/gDCnJpab

Have you had a chance to watch Small Town Universe yet? The documentary, which explores life in Green Bank, WV, is streaming on PBS - only available through Monday, July 28! https://lnkd.in/gn3hGndf

WVGSI Class of 2025 📡💚 Green Bank Observatory said goodbye to the WV Governor's STEM Institute (GSI) this weekend. Thank you to all of the amazing students who joined us this year (and the families who entrusted them to us)! We hope you enjoyed diving into the exciting world of STEM, learned something new, and made memories that will last a lifetime. #WVGovSchools2025 #WVGSI2025

NEW: Space’s Spinning Enigma: A ‘Unicorn’ Object Defies Astrophysics Researchers, led by Fengqiu Adam Dong – a Jansky Fellow at the NSF Green Bank Observatory (NSF GBO) – have identified an exceptionally unusual cosmic object known as a Long Period Radio Transient (LPT), named CHIME J1634+44. https://lnkd.in/gDyWFb6q

NEW: Astronomers Discover Massive Molecular Cloud Hidden in Milky Way The newly discovered Giant Molecular Cloud (GMC) is about 60 parsecs—or 200 light years—long! Nicknamed the "Midpoint cloud," it offers a rare glimpse into star formation and the dynamic flow of galactic material toward the Milky Way's center. https://lnkd.in/gBZ4EZFc

WV Governor's STEM Institute (GSI) at Green Bank Observatory: 📡 Students have been learning all about radio astronomy! They completed their first observation on the 40-foot telescope and learned how to use spectral line mode, which will help them investigate hydrogen in the galaxy. We also practiced plotting data on logarithmic graph paper and determining what type of emission mechanism is responsible for the radio waves. (Students determined that most active galaxies emit synchrotron radiation, produced by electrons accelerating around magnetic fields!) 🌊 Stream Ecology students have been completing water chemistry testing to determine the health of Deer Creek on the Green Bank Observatory property. ⚡️ Electronics Direct Study students learned how to create their own electronics by carefully soldering electrical components like capacitors and resistors into their printed circuit boards (PCBs). #WVGovSchools2025 #WVGSI2025

Heads up! The Science Center, Galaxy Gift Shop, and Starlight Café will close early on Saturday, July 26 to allow our staff to attend the final portion of our annual employee picnic. The Science Center and Gift Shop will close at 5 PM. The last tour of the day will be offered at 4 PM. Starlight Café will close at 4 PM; last hot food orders by 3:30 PM.