Green Bank Observatory retrieves telescope parts from Norway
GREEN BANK, WV (WVNS) — West Virginia is home to endless mountains, quiet streams, and the world’s largest fully steerable radio telescope. The many wonders of the universe are studied at the Green Bank Observatory. Recently, the Green Bank observatory obtained telescope parts from Norway.
Located in Pocahontas County, Green Bank Observatory houses many radio telescopes with one being 140 meters tall.
Mountain State Destinations: Green Bank Observatory
Green Bank Observatory also contains an educational telescope for those that want to pursue a career in astronomy.
If the educational telescope were to fail, replacement parts would be needed.
Brenne Gregory, Scientific Data Analyst for Green Bank Observatory, says the telescope parts from Norway are a necessity.
“Because the telescope was built in 1994, a lot of these parts are obsolete. So, they’re really priceless, in price. So, the fact that Kartverket was willing to give us those parts, many making sure that our telescope will continue to run for many years as we don’t have any extras was really fantastic” said Gregory.
Members of Green Bank Observatory had to be cautious when retrieving the telescope parts. To be more specific, they were trained to protect themselves from polar bears.
Winter months hit tourism-dependent businesses hard
Gregory says they were trained with rifles.
“A lot of our staff were actually trained to carry rifles and flare guns should a polar bear appear. In Ny-Aalesund, if you leave the city limits or town limits, you have to have a rifle for your safety. So, we were prepared to deal with that. The telescope was actually outside the city limits” said Gregory.
The telescope parts made it safely from their trans-Atlantic trip back to the United States. With spare parts in hand, Green Bank Observatory is prepared to fix the educational telescope if needed. This trip across the world gives needed parts for maintenance, but also gives future astronomers the chance to get hands-on experience.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WVNS.
