Silence, please
Interesting article from Reuters about the National Radio Quiet Zone in West Virginia, where even microwave ovens are a problem. There’s a giant radio telescope there, so great efforts are made to ensure that the electrically-noisy devices that wreak such havoc with the radio spectrum don’t disrupt the scientific activities. Radio stations in surrounding areas have to beam their signal away from the telescope. Scientists use spark plug-free diesel vehicles when approaching the computer. And sometimes the biggest problem can be a dog’s heating pad. (Thanks Dan Say on the swprograms mailing list.) Incidentally, I used to work at the birthplace of radio astronomy in Holmdel, New Jersey. I love the fact that there’s now a monument in the shape of the first radio astronomy antenna at the exact location where signals from space were first heard.
Posted at 11:54 PM