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(more…)NASA DART Imagery Produced with GBT Data Shows Changed Orbit of Target Asteroid
Analysis of data obtained over the past two weeks by NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) investigation team shows the spacecraft’s kinetic impact with its target asteroid, Dimorphos, successfully altered the asteroid’s orbit. This marks humanity’s first time purposely changing the motion of a celestial object and the first full-scale demonstration of asteroid deflection technology. Images such as the below helped scientists understand the orbit change resulting from DART’s impact.
Jansky Lecturer will visit Green Bank Observatory
This year’s lecture at Green Bank Observatory will be held in the Green Bank Science Center on February 15th at 4:00 P.M. The Science Center and Galaxy Gift Shop will open at 3:00 P.M. for early arrivals. A brief reception will follow in the Science Center Atrium.
The Jansky Lecture Series is free and open to the public. Registration is not required, but RSVPs are appreciated: https://forms.gle/zAMNAkHXE83KuFon8
(more…)Green Bank Observatory Science Newsletter, Winter 2022
Green Bank Observatory a Catalyst for Next Decade of Astronomy Advancement
The Green Bank Observatory is poised to support and advance the priorities of the National Academies Astro2020 Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysics.
(more…)Observatory Scientists Share Latest Research
Our scientists are in demand! Several are being featured on podcasts and other digital media.
(more…)A New Era for Green Bank Observatory, Dr. James M. Jackson Named Director
The Green Bank Observatory (GBO) enters a new era of leadership in October. Dr. James M. Jackson, an internationally known astrophysicist, has accepted the role of director.
After serving as director for 15 years, Dr. Karen O’Neil will join the scientific staff. O’Neil has led the Observatory since 2006, including overseeing the separation from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) and the successful transition to Green Bank Observatory in 2016. She looks forward to being a longstanding member of the Observatory staff and being a vital part of its continued growth.
(more…)New image captures galaxy cluster emerging from cosmic web
The tumultuous evolution of a galaxy cluster captured close to its formation in the cosmic web
An international team of astronomers using the National Science Foundation’s Green Bank Telescope (GBT) in Green Bank, West Virginia, and the NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory have captured a snapshot of a massive galaxy cluster, very close to the epoch when it began to emerge from the cosmic web.
(more…)NSF Funds NANOGrav Physics Frontiers Center; Green Bank Telescope a Part of Five-Year Program
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has renewed its support of the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) with a $17 million grant over 5 years to operate the NANOGrav Physics Frontiers Center (PFC).
(more…)Massive Invisible Galactic Structure is Discovered – By Accident
Incredibly sensitive spectral observations from the Green Bank Telescope discover previously unknown huge Galactic structure
When it comes to the Universe, there is more than meets the eye. Astronomers using the National Science Foundation’s Green Bank Telescope (GBT) have discovered a massive, previously unknown structure in our Galaxy. This discovery was so unexpected, additional observations were taken using the Green Bank Observatory’s 20-meter Telescope to confirm the data.
(more…)Science Newsletter: Special Edition for the 238th American Astronomical Society Meeting
The Green Bank Observatory at AAS 238
For the June 2021 meeting several Observatory staff will be sharing presentations, sessions, and iPosters. This list is evolving as the full breadth of meeting items that mention the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) and the Green Bank Observatory are brought to our attention.
(more…)Green Bank Observatory at AAS 238 Meeting
The staff of the Observatory are sharing several presentations at the June 7th-9th meeting of the AAS.
How long is a day on Venus? Scientists crack mysteries of our closest neighbor
Venus is an enigma. It’s the planet next door and yet reveals little about itself. An opaque blanket of clouds smothers a harsh landscape pelted by acid rain and baked at temperatures that can liquify lead.
Now, new observations from the safety of Earth are lifting the veil on some of Venus’ most basic properties. By repeatedly bouncing radar off the planet’s surface over the last 15 years, a UCLA-led team has pinned down the precise length of a day on Venus, the tilt of its axis and the size of its core. The findings are published today in the journal Nature Astronomy.
(more…)New astronomical survey utilizes the Green Bank Telescope to give clearest view of ionized gas in the Milky Way
Astronomical surveys mapping regions of the Galaxy have been collected and studied for decades. These surveys allow researchers to compare previous data, further characterize objects or images of the sky, and learn more through statistical analysis. For the National Science Foundation’s Green Bank Telescope (GBT) Diffuse Ionized Gas Survey (GDIGS), researchers took advantage of the power of the GBT, located in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, to better understand the impact of massive stars in the Milky Way.
(more…)West Virginia Students Contact International Space Station LIVE
How would you feel if you could talk to an astronaut, orbiting over 200-miles above you in space?
Friday, May 7th at 8:00 AM EDT, students in rural West Virginia will experience this once in a lifetime opportunity. Green Bank Elementary-Middle School (GBEMS) will be contacting astronaut Mark Vande Hei on the International Space Station (ISS).
Observatory staff lead new sustainability intiatives
The Green Bank Observatory employees established a sustainability committee in late 2020 to develop new initiatives for local residents to improve their environment and their lives.
Can Green Bank Telescope Defend Against Asteroid Apophis?
The National Science Foundation’s Green Bank Telescope (GBT) is teaming up with NASA’s Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex (GDSCC) to observe this potentially hazardous asteroid. These new observations of Apophis will allow scientists to improve their understanding of the asteroid’s orbit, and better estimate the odds that Apophis could strike the Earth in the future. Predicting if there is a real chance of impact, decades ahead of time, gives scientists the opportunity to take action to manipulate the orbit of Apophis to avoid a collision in the future.
(more…)NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover landing observed by the Green Bank Telescope
This “waterfall image” is actually three separate observations combined to show NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover as it enters the Martian atmosphere before touching down on the red planet. Green Bank Observatory Data Analyst Amber Bonsall created this image using data received by the Green Bank Telescope (GBT). The GBT was pointed at Mars to observe communications from the rover as it landed February 18th, 2021 at 3:55 p.m. EDT.
(more…)NASA Mars Rover Touches Down, Green Bank Telescope Receives Signal
The Green Bank Telescope’s Part in the NASA Perseverance Mars Rover Landing
GREEN BANK, WEST VIRGINIA – Cheers could be heard throughout the Green Bank Observatory as NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover successfully touched down on the red planet Thursday, February 18th, at 3:55 p.m. EDT. The National Science Foundation’s Green Bank Telescope (GBT) helped relay communications from the rover to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) located in southern California.
(more…)Mars Rover Phones Home, Green Bank Telescope Answers
West Virginia’s Role in the NASA Perseverance Mars Rover Landing
The National Science Foundation’s Green Bank Telescope (GBT), located in Green Bank, West Virginia, plays a role in the upcoming mission of the NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover. The GBT will receive communications from the rover as it arrives on Mars on February 18th and pass these on to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) located in southern California.
(more…)Can We Modernize the National Radio Quiet Zone?
A new Request for Information (RFI) has been issued by the National Science Foundation (NSF), taking first steps to develop effective strategies for improving communications in the National Radio Quiet Zone (NRQZ).
Are we alone in the universe? UCLA astronomers enlist the public to find out
Anyone can help classify radio signals from the Green Bank Telescope that could reveal existence of intelligent life elsewhere
Join a community that’s helping UCLA astronomers search for life in the universe using the Green Bank Telescope. UCLA SETI launched a new project to crowdsource the search for extraterrestrial civilizations. (SETI is an acronym for “search for extraterrestrial intelligence.”)
(more…)New Space Radar Will Hunt Planet-Threatening Asteroids
The new ngRADAR at the Green Bank Telescope offers unprecedented Earth-based views of the solar system
When a baseball pitcher throws a fastball, the speed pops up on the jumbotron thanks to radar. The technology is also useful for air traffic control, highway speed traps and weather forecasting—and it’s not reserved for Earth. Astronomers have used radar to probe the planets and asteroids around us, measuring their speed as they whiz around the sun and imaging the details of their surface.
(more…)Balancing Safety & Science in the Radio Quiet Zone
How do you make a 911 call in the National Radio Quiet Zone (NRQZ)? For residents of Pocahontas County, one of the largest and most rural areas located in the NRQZ, new radio communications coverage has been introduced for first responders.
(more…)Astronomers Apply New AI Technique to Accelerate the Search for Extraterrestrial Life
Are we alone in the universe?
Scientists may have just moved us closer to answering this question. The team – led by researchers from the University of Toronto – has streamlined the search for extraterrestrial life by using a new algorithm to organize the data from their telescopes into categories, to distinguish between real signals and interference. This has allowed them to quickly sort through the information and find patterns, through an artificial intelligence process known as machine learning.
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