What Is the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope?
At 328 feet by 360 feet wide and 480 feet tall, the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) has the world record as the largest fully moveable motor-driven structure on land!
What Makes It Historical?
The GBT is the most active observatory in the country, listening to the deepest recesses of the universe for 6,500 hours (270 days) a year! It’s so sensitive, it can pick up a cell phone in airplane mode on Saturn! Since it launched on August 23, 2000, it has picked up distant pulsars, complex sugar molecules in space, and the most massive neutron star yet!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Pay the entrance fee to help maintain trails, signs, structures, and other visitor services!
- Buy something from the online shop!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
155 Observatory Rd
Green Bank, WV 24944
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
The Green Bank Observatory is open for tours Thursday through Monday from 9:30 AM until 5:30 PM!
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