A morning spent at the the Green Bank Observatory. It’s located in the National Radio Quiet Zone in Green Bank, West Virginia, U.S. So no phones in the zone as they get picked up by the dish. The photo was taken from a spot outside the fenced off area. It is the operator of the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope, the world's largest fully steerable radio telescope (a surface area of about 2.3 acres, taller than the Statute of Liberty, and weighing in at 8,500 tonnes). The woman giving the talk lives by the zone, so she just has a landline (some people still have dial-up). The little bus that drove us up to the telescope was a diesel because then it didn’t have spark plugs, which… interference.
The National Radio Quiet Zone (NRQZ) was set aside by the federal government to provide a geographical region to protect sensitive instrumentation from Radio Frequency Interference (RFI).
The NRQZ was established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in Docket No. 11745 (November 19, 1958) and by the Interdepartment Radio Advisory Committee (IRAC) in Document 3867/2 (March 26, 1958) to minimize possible harmful interference to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in Green Bank, WV and the radio receiving facilities for the United States Navy in Sugar Grove, WV. The NRQZ is bounded by NAD-83 meridians of longitude at 78d 29m 59.0s W and 80d 29m 59.2s W and latitudes of 37d 30m 0.4s N and 39d 15m 0.4s N, and encloses a land area of approximately 13,000 square miles near the state border between Virginia and West Virginia. — Green Bank Observatory
National Radio Quiet Zone.
We drove on through to Seneca Rocks.
Seneca Rocks is one of the best-known landmarks in West Virginia. These rocks have long been noted as a scenic attraction and are popular with rock climbers. The rocks are a magnificent formation rising nearly 900 feet above the North Fork River. — Forest Service
To Walmart to stock up on food, then a difficult drive to the chalet for two nights to rest. It’s odd being in an actual house after months in hotel rooms. It’s so nice Jane added an extra night (so three nights now), then we must push on and keep on with about 170 miles a day to get back to the airport on time. Nice view (of a golf course) from the balcony.
We woke at 3am or so (the aircon kicked in noisily), so we went onto the balcony and there was LOTS of visible stars (more than the camera picked up). You could easily see the Plough. (The bright spot is a window in the distance, not a star.)
