Owens Valley Radio Observatory
Encyclopedia
The Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO) is a radio observatory
located near Bishop
, California
, within the Owens Valley, California region, approximately 250 miles north of Los Angeles
on the east side of the Sierra Nevada. It is owned and operated by the California Institute of Technology
. For reference, its coordinates are 37°14′02"N 118°16′56"W at 1222 meters above sea level. The major instruments at the observatory are:
A dish antenna of the Very Long Baseline Array
is immediately adjacent to, but not part of, the observatory.
Observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
located near Bishop
Bishop, California
Bishop is a city in Inyo County, California, United States. Though Bishop is the only city and the largest populated place in Inyo County, the county seat is Independence. Bishop is located near the northern end of the Owens Valley, at an elevation of 4147 feet . The population was 3,879 at the...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, within the Owens Valley, California region, approximately 250 miles north of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
on the east side of the Sierra Nevada. It is owned and operated by the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
. For reference, its coordinates are 37°14′02"N 118°16′56"W at 1222 meters above sea level. The major instruments at the observatory are:
- the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave AstronomyCombined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave AstronomyThe Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy is an astronomical instrument comprising 23 radio telescopes. These telescopes form an astronomical interferometer where all the signals are combined in a purpose-built computer to produce high-resolution astronomical images.- Location...
, - the OVRO 40 meter TelescopeOVRO 40 meter TelescopeThe OVRO 40 meter Telescope is part of the Owens Valley Radio Observatory located near Big Pine, California, USA. The telescope was dedicated in 1968 and since then it has been used to conduct interferometric observations along with the other telescopes in the observatory, as a Very Long Baseline...
, and - the Owens Valley Solar ArrayOwens Valley Solar ArrayThe Owens Valley Solar Array is a astronomical radio telescope array with main interests in studying the physics of the Sun. The instruments of the observatory are designed and employed specifically for studying the activities and phenomena of our solar system's sun...
.
A dish antenna of the Very Long Baseline Array
Very Long Baseline Array
The Very Long Baseline Array is a system of ten radio telescopes controlled remotely from the Array Operations Center in Socorro, New Mexico by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. The array works together as the world's largest dedicated, full-time astronomical instrument using the...
is immediately adjacent to, but not part of, the observatory.