Grote Reber Talk in Naperville: Tuesday, 6 September

[beamjockey]

I'll be the speaker at the next meeting of the Naperville Astronomical Association, next Tuesday, 6 September.

Grote Reber: The Ham Who Opened the Universe

Radio sources in the sky were discovered in the 1930s, but nobody studied them until Grote Reber of Wheaton, Illinois tackled the problem. In his spare time, and on a shoestring budget, Reber assembled in his mother's backyard an enormous electronic contraption that would change astronomy forever. Eventually, radio astronomy would blossom into an important new discipline-- but for nearly a decade Reber was the only radio astronomer on Earth.

As you may know, this is a topic that has interested me ever since... well, ever since I met Grote Reber. And last year I visited both the original site of his radio telescope, near here in Wheaton, and the site in Green Bank, West Virginia where it's been rebuilt. I also met people who had worked with him at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory there.

And it's local history. Though he died in 2002, Reber's 100th birthday is coming up on 22 December, and I thought it would be good to put together a talk to let people in the Wheaton area know that radio astronomy got started right here.


The Naperville Astronomical Association is a terrific astronomy club with its own observatory and a strong tradition of public education. One can meet some very dedicated stargazers there. I've belonged for over 22 years. I'm not highly active, but I attend meetings when I can, and every time I cook up a new talk about astronomy or spaceflight, I give NAA a chance to hear it.

NAA's announcement says:

The program will begin at 7:30p.m., in downstairs rooms B-C of the Naperville Municipal Center, at Aurora Ave. & Eagle St. in downtown Naperville (see the Map page of our website, www.naperastro.org for directions). The public is welcome to attend, free of charge.

If this sounds interesting, come hear it.

Comments

[stickmaker.livejournal.com]

Was he using long-wire antennae just off the ground? I remember seeing those in an article on early radio astronomy, but it was decades ago.

[neowolf2.livejournal.com]

He was using the dish Bill is standing in front of. Yes, it was that big, and he built it himself.

[beamjockey.livejournal.com]

Perhaps Rod is thinking of Karl Jansky's instrument:


The original was at Holmdel, New Jersey; this is a replica at Green Bank (which Grote Reber had a hand in building!) across the road from the original Reber dish.

Rest assured that I took plenty of pictures of both replicas; this time, I will spare you the shot of myself standing in front of the Jansky antenna. As regular readers know, I love to acquire that kind of photo and my motto is "Never pass a fiberglass mascot."