This edition of the science newsletter shares special information for the 236th meeting of the American Astronomical Society.
Green Bank Observatory at the Virtual #AAS236 Annual Meeting
Monday, June 1
Jun 1 2020 2:50PM
121.03. The NANOGrav Data Set: Probing Pulsar Emission Mechanisms and Galactic Magnetic Fields with GBT Data
Jun 1 2020 5:30PM
142.02. Argus144: High resolution molecular gas mapping with a 144-element W-Band Array on the Green Bank Telescope
Jun 1 2020 2:50PM
124.06. Neutral Hydrogen Tracing in Loose Galaxy Group LGG 140
Jun 1 2020 5:30PM
142.01. LASSI — Real Time Surface Adjustment of the Green Bank Telescope
Tuesday, June 2
Jun 2 2020 11:00AM
209.04. The Impact of HII Regions on the Interstellar Medium of our Galaxy
Jun 2 2020 11:40AM
213.01. Unusual Galactic HII Regions at the Intersection of the Central Molecular Zone and the Far Dust Lane
Jun 2 2020 11:50 AM
209.05 Oral Session – The ISM and Star Formation I
Jun 2 2020 5:30PM
243.05. Pointing with the 100-meter Green Bank Telescope
Weds, June 3
Jun 3 2020 2:50PM
323.01. Student Teams of Astrophysics ResearcherS (STARS) in the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves
Jun 3 2020 5:30PM 332.01. Clouds in the Milky Way’s Nuclear Wind — Breaking the Speed Limit
Green Bank Observatory Maintains Operations Under COVID-19
Since mid-March, Observatory staff have been sharing updates to the astronomical community on current Observatory operations under COVID-19 and ongoing projects, including MM-wave spectroscopy, LASSI, and pulsar science.
You can watch recordings of these presentations on the Green Bank Observatory YouTube channel.
Additional meetings and updates will be held in the coming weeks. Please keep an eye on your email for these invitations.
Additional information on how COVID-19 has affected the Observatory’s public programs can be found here FAQs about COVID-19
Special GBT Call for Filler Time Proposals
The Green Bank Observatory entered into an Infectious Disease Operating Status (IDOS) on March 16, 2020. In spite of this, the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) is continuing to observe. The current IDOS, along with poor weather this spring, has made more GBT time available than expected.
Green Bank Observatory would like to invite Director’s Discretionary Time proposals for low frequency filler time observations on the GBT. Observations will be restricted to using the Prime Focus 800 MHz feed, L-band, S-band, and C-band receivers. Requests will also be restricted to using the DCR, VEGAS and VEGAS pulsar modes unless special permission is received in advance of submission. We encourage submissions for observations in the 21-15 hour LST range, although requests for any LST range will be considered.
Please state that your DDT submission is in response to this special call in the abstract of the proposal.
All proposals should be submitted through the Proposal Submission Tool here. More information on the GBT and its capabilities can be found here.
Take Our GBT User Survey
We want your feedback to improve our operations – and it takes less than 10 minutes! Are you a former, current, or prospective GBT user? Take the survey now!
“Astronomy is a gateway science.” Green Bank Observatory’s Newest Scientist Brings the Stars to You
It’s official: the Green Bank Observatory welcomes a new member to its scientific team, Dr. Will Armentrout. Will has been in residence for over a year as a post doc, giving him the chance to embed himself in the heart of Green Bank’s tight knit community.
Read the official press release See more about Will’s research and work.
COVID-19, and Lightning, Won’t Stop Green Bank Telescope Operations
When a lightning strike from spring storms damaged equipment on the GBT, staff developed a thorough safety plan for COVID-19 that would allow them to complete repairs in a very confined space. Read more about this story here.
Student Scientist Wins National Scholarship
Ellie White, a longtime Observatory advocate, has won a prestigious Goldwater Scholarship at Marshall University. A physics major, she plans to earn her Ph.D. in astrophysics studying astrobiology, radio astronomy instrumentation, and SETI. Read more.
Green Bank Observatory: An Advocate for Internet Access
In response to an article published in March that stated the Observatory was hindering internet access in our region, the Observatory has put together information to address these claims and explain our efforts to support and improve internet access. Read more
Thankful Cromartie, NRAO Grote Reber Fellow, Receives Prestigious Einstein Fellowship
You might recognize Thankful’s name from headlines this past fall – using the GBT, she measured the most massive neutron star to date, called J0740+6620. As a graduate student, Cromartie has been studying millisecond pulsars, and especially their use in pulsar timing arrays for gravitational wave detection, using the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) dataset. She successfully defended her PhD at the University of Virginia in April and in the fall of 2020 she starts her Einstein Fellowship at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Read more
Green Bank Observatory One of a Few To Remain Open
Many observatories around the world have been forced to shut down operations due to COVID-19 – but not the Green Bank Observatory. While the safety and health of our staff and the community are of utmost importance, we’ve been able to implement safety protocols and alter our operations to maintain our observations. Learn more