Fascinating and unexpected Green Bank Observatory, West Virginia: A must see attraction in West Virginia

 

Green Bank Observatory, WV

Albert Einstein:  “There are only two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

Our pack (my wife, myself, and our Pomeranian Toby) was on our way to Snowshoe Mountain Resort in West Virginia from New York City, on October 1st, embarking on our 1 month long journey in the Mountain State.  As we got near our destination, we were totally taken aback by the sight of Green Bank Observatory, in the town of Green Bank, which is about 13 miles from Snowshoe Mountain Resort.

When we first saw Green Bank Observatory, we couldn’t believe a scientific institution of this size (facility is immense!) existed in the middle of nowhere in West Virginia.  As we approached the town of Green Bank, the first thing we remember about the town was of a police cruiser pulling over someone who was speeding.  

The speed limit had decreased rapidly from 55 mph to 35 mph as we entered the town.  It was a speed trap.  I was glad I slowed down, otherwise I would’ve been another victim of the town’s speed trap! 

Because we had slowed down in town, it did offer us a decent glimpse of Green Bank Observatory (GBO) and the telescopes from the distance.  We were completely in awe of the GBO.  We saw there was a science center/visitor center and bunch of telescopes visible from the road, one of which was immense!

Few years ago, I was watching a documentary about the universe, which featured University of West Virginia and NASA Space Grant Consortium, promoting research and promotion of science.  It featured students and faculty working in conjunction with Green Bank Observatory to study space and the origins of the universe.

As I was watching the documentary, I was really impressed by the researchers thirst for knowledge and zeal in discovering answers about our origins.  To see this level of expertise in West Virginia was even more impressive.  You would normally imagine places like Stanford, MIT, Oxford, to be the usual places of cutting edge research, but probably not University of West Virginia.

Remembering that documentary, we couldn’t wait to visit Green Bank Observatory as soon as possible.  I went online to their website (greenbankobservatory.org) to reserve tickets for a visit on a Thursday at 11a.m.   The admission fee is reasonable $10 per person, which includes a guided bus tour, access to the science center, and the cafe.

Note:  As of October 2021, Green Bank Observatory is only open from Thursdays through Sundays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  It is recommended to reserve tickets in advance via their website.  There are four different time slots available:  9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m.  Walk ups may not guarantee admissions!

We were glad we booked the 11 a.m. slot, as we woke up pretty late at around 8 a.m., the morning of our appointment.  We would never have made the 9 a.m. slot!  Our plan was to take some water, granola bars and some mixed nuts, so we can eat at the parking lot before going into the science center.

The drive from Snowshoe Mountain Resort to the town of Green Bank, is absolutely beautiful.  After navigating the drive down from the top of the mountain featuring hairpin turns with awesome vistas, we took Route 66.

Another beautiful road

Snowshoe Dr. heading down to Route 66

Beautiful day to drive

Somewhere on Route 66

After about 40 minutes, we arrived at Green Bank Observatory with about 45 minutes to spare.  We parked, then ate our granola bars and mixed nuts.  Already by then, we saw plenty of visitors mulling around in the parking lot, getting ready to go inside.

We went in after finishing our quick lunch.  We were greeted by the receptionist at the visitor desk and were promptly given our own wrist bands to use during the visit.  She mentioned the tour will begin at about 10 minutes prior to 11:00 a.m., and the guide will be there by the end of the hall where the classrooms were.  

Lucky for us, we had about 20 minutes to spare after our registration.  We made a pit stop, then we looked around the lobby area.  We took some photos below from the lobby area.

The famous steerable telescope

Poster of GBO

Afterwards, we continued on into the science center to look at various displays about the facility, the radio telescopes, and about the universe.  It was my kind of a place!  

I was always fascinated by the universe.  I loved looking up at the skies and feel incredibly tiny compared to the vastness of space.  Just to think the visible light that stars emanate which we’re seeing now, were sent millions of years ago, just baffles my mind…In the grand scheme of things, my existence (mere 80-90 years) is just a blip on the universe’s timeline, where time is measured in millions of years…

Loved the displays

Another display about the space

Fascinating stuff!

As it got closer to 11 a.m., we lined up along with other visitors, at the end of the hallway for a guided tour.  Our guide, Noreen, was super knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful with everyone’s questions.  We watched a quick 10 minute orientation video about the Green Bank Observatory, followed by a question & answer session from the audience.

I felt like I was on a school trip!  Only thing missing was the packed lunch bag with either a peanut butter & jelly sandwich or a ham & cheese sandwich with a juice!  

During the question & answer session, we got several questions answered including ‘SETI’ (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence), if the telescopes were ever damaged from natural disasters or man-made disasters, and how someone can use the telescopes for research.  

NOTE:  In case you’re interested, the answer to the questions above are as follows:

1. SETI question:  They have not found anything that would qualify as coming from an advanced civilization 
2. Telescopes ever got damaged question:  No.  Noreen explained that the telescope can tuck away to mitigate possible damage from high winds or storms.  
3. How to use the telescopes for research:  Anyone can request a written proposal to use the telescopes for research, but the competition to use these telescopes is intense.  It may or may not be approved.

The orientation was an absolute delight!  We all learned about the importance of the radio telescopes in ongoing research on space and the universe.  

After the orientation, we all boarded a bus (also guided by Noreen) to see the grounds and the famous telescopes.  One interesting thing to note is that the area near Green Bank Observatory is the National Radio Quiet Zone, meaning there’s no cell service, and any appliance that emits a radio frequency cannot be used!  

The National Radio Quiet Zone encompasses 13,000 square miles and covers eastern half of West Virginia.   In the Radio Quiet Zone, cell service and wifi service are not allowed.  Any electromagnetic interference can negatively impact the sensitive sensors of the telescopes.

Noreen asked all of us to turn off our cell phones at the start of our orientation, and that continued throughout our guided tour of the facilities.  We were wondering as we were driving to this part of the state, why our cell phones weren’t working, then everything just made sense…

We got a closer view of various telescopes on site, including the biggest one of all, the Green Bank Telescope, which stands at 485 feet tall with the ‘dish’ diameter of 300 feet.  With a collecting area of over  2 acres, the world’s largest fully steerable telescope can listen to the faintest whispers of the universe.

We stopped to inspect the GBT outside the fenced in area, and were blown away by the immense size of the telescope.  It was the biggest telescope I had ever seen up close.  Even from 100 feet away from the telescope, we had to crane our necks to look up.

After several minutes of marveling at the GBT, we got back inside our tour bus for a return trip back to the visitor center.  On our way back, we found out Noreen (our tour guide), is originally from the U.K.  She had been living in the United States for over 30 years.  

She jokingly said her British accent was really bad when she first moved to the U.S., where no one could understand her at all.  After all these years of living in the U.S., she humbly mentioned she’s now at least somewhat understood.  We told her her accent was delightful, and we could understand her just fine!

After arriving back at the visitor center, we said our goodbyes.  It was a great day of learning about the universe and the cutting edge research being done at the GBO.  We highly recommend this place to anyone visiting West Virginia!

Thank you all for reading!

Jake

Wandering Money Pig 

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