Right off of the road and nestled in a valley naturally protected by the Allegheny Mountains is the Green Bank Observatory. It opened in 1958 as the United States’ first national astronomy observatory and remains today a crucial facility in the field of radio astronomy with a number of active telescopes, including the world’s largest steerable radio telescope, the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope, or GBT.
But to do this crucial work, compromises have to be made. “The signals we detect from space are extremely faint,†says Harshal Gupta, the National Science Foundation program officer for the Green Bank Observatory. “A source of close-by, man-made radio frequency can completely overwhelm these very faint signals from space.†Meaning, any radio frequency interference (RFI) could corrupt that research.
In order to limit RFI, the Federal Communications Commission in 1958 established the National Radio Quiet Zone (NRQZ) covering approximately 13,000 square miles and parts of both Virginia and West Virginia. In the mid-20th century, this meant no radio towers, television antennas, or heavy machinery could be installed unless they met very restrictive guidelines set forth by the FCC (like highly directional antennas and reduced power). It also prohibited private citizens from operating their own radio equipment, like ham radios, within the zone.
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