National Radio Astronomy Observatory Green Bank

Jansky antenna NRAO Green Bank

Replica of Jansky Antennae used by Karl Jansky to detect radio waves from space. His antenna received radio waves at a frequency of 20.5 MHz (about 14.5 meters). This antenna made the first discovery of cosmic radio waves that turned out to be from the Milky Way in 1933. The antenna is mounted on a turntable that enables one to find the direction to the radio source. Karl Jansky was a Bell Labs engineer tasked to investigate static that might interfere with radio voice transmissions.

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last updated: August 28, 2011


Author of original content: Nick Strobel