Looking toward the security gate beyond which radio frequency interference (RFI) is not allowed from near the Jansky Laboratory. This is a less zoomed in version of the previous image. The driveway the picture is taken from goes to the parking lot for the Jansky Laboratory (off the left side of the image). The Jansky Laboratory houses offices for the staff astronomers, visiting astronomers, control room for the telescopes, shop areas for the engineers, computers, data storage, meeting rooms, and classrooms. Another work area is the tan-beige building on the right side of the image. The blue-trim building on the far right of the image is a warehouse.
The center of the image shows the marker for Saturn (blue flag) and for Jupiter (green flag) in the solar system scale model that is on the site. The scale factor is 3 billion to 1 and yes, they include (dwarf) planet Pluto (the scale model was created before Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet). On this scale the Earth is the size of a pea and the Earth's orbit is about 100 meters across—about the same size as the Green Bank Telescope's dish. The Tatel (85-1) Telescope tries to hide behind the Jupiter flag and a small piece of the 45-foot Telescope peeks out from the tree on the left.
The next image shows the view opposite this one.
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last updated: September 4, 2011