To Discover.
We are here to discover black holes, stellar birth, pulsars, Big Bang energy, universe expansion, and the very origins of life.
Science
We are here...
We are here...
To See the Unseen.
We are here to harness the power of radio waves to explore astronomy.
Fundamental Physics
Gravitational Constant Remains the Same Across the Universe
Testing matter at extreme densities
Unique laboratory for understanding the nature of matter
The GBT allows scientists to study matter at densities higher than anywhere else in the Universe, providing answers to fundamental questions about the nature of matter.
Gravitational Waves
Confirming the Nature of Gravitational Waves
The GBT is a key instrument in the experiment to detection gravitational waves thorugh tiny blips in the timing of rapidly rotating neutron stars, known as pulsars.
The Origins of Life
Life's First Handshake: Chiral Molecule Detected in Interstellar Space
Connect Organic Chemistry in Space with Life on Earth
How common are the building blocks of life?
The GBT is used to discover and measure interstellar chemical processes to determine the characteristics of pre-biotic chemistry in star-forming regions
How diConnect Organic Chemistry in Space with Life on Earthd life arrive on Earth?
How did life arrive on Earth?
Rapid imaging of cometary molecules sets boundary conditions on solar system chemistry The GBT is the only telescope in the world which can provide the needed instantaneous sensitivity, resolution, and sky coverage
The Birth of Planets
Orion rocks! Pebble-size particles may jump-start planet formation
Understanding how and why planets form
Pebble-Size Particles May Jump-Start Planet Formation
The GBT can image the Universe at the time when planets are just beginning to form, and see the pebbles of dust coalescing into pletoids
Understanding the Solar System
How did life's building blocks arrive on Earth?
Working with radar systems in California and Puerto Rico, the GBT can determine the interior of planets and moons, map the rocky surface of the moon, and help understand how our planets was formed
Stars, Gas, and Galaxies
Earth-Size Diamond Star Discovered in Space
Understanding the formation of stars
Stellar formation and Evolution
How do star clusters form and evolve? What is the role of filaments? Where do high mass stars form? These are the types of questions scientists using the GBT are studying every day.
Mapping the Cosmic Web
The formation and evolution of galaxies and clusters of galaxies
The GBT is the only telescope in the world which can reliably map gas to extremely low densities, and it is providing insight into where, how, and why galaxies form and evolve
We are all Made of Stars. Without stars, we wouldn’t be here. Stars produce basic elements, like Carbon, the foundation of the complex molecules which make up life. It is likely that all elements – everything
we see hear, and touch – are created during a star’s life cycle. The Green Bank Telescope taught astronomers that the Milky Way is an organic galaxy, dominated by Carbon-based molecules.
