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Organization | NRAO |
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Location | Green Bank, West Virginia, USA |
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Wavelength regime | radio |
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Webpage | http://www.gb.nrao.edu/GBT/GBT.shtml |
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Physical characteristics |
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Telescope style | parabolic off-axis reflector |
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Diameter | 110m |
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Collecting area | ~38,000 m&2 |
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Focal length | (m, ft) |
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Mounting | wheel and track mount |
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Dome | none |
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The ('''GBT''') is the world's largest fully mobile
Radio Telescope . It is part of the
National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) at
Green Bank ,
West Virginia (
USA ). The telescope honors the name of
Senator Robert C. Byrd .
The telescope sits at the heart of the
United States National Radio Quiet Zone , 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 100 by 110 meters with a separate actuator (a small motor used to adjust the position) for each of the 2,004 surface panels. The panels are made from aluminum to a surface accuracy of less than 0.003 inches (76.2 micrometers) RMS.
The telescope is unusual in that the mirror is not a symmetrical dish, but is a section of a much larger parabolic figure with the receiver where the prime focus of the entire mirror would be. As a result, the support for the receiver does not in any way obscure the mirror's view of the sky.
