In this episode I speak with Ms. Brenne Gregory, a data analyst at the Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia.
Here’s some of the really cool facts she shared that stuck out to me!
- Radio telescopes listen to radio waves from the universe
- Unlike optical telescopes that work best in the dark, radio telescopes can be used 24 hrs a day
- Since it snows a lot in West Virginia, the satellite dishes at the observatory have a special position called “snow dump” to minimize the amount of snow on the dishes.
- The Green Bank Observatory is in a “radio quiet zone” – that means no WiFi, no cell service and no Bluetooth. Can you imagine? 😱
- The Green Bank Observatory has multiple radio telescopes – including one for use by students.
- The coolest thing she has studied at the observatory is a pulsar. A pulsar is a really dense rotating neutron star that emits radio pulses.
- She really helped me understand it by comparing it to the light from a lighthouse
We also talk about aliens! 👽

Listen to the episode to learn more about radio telescopes! I bet you will learn a lot!
I now have the Green Bank Observatory on my list of places to visit. It sounds like a really interesting place. Of course, I wouldn’t be able to use my phone but it sounds like it will be worth it!
Here are some websites for more information about the observatory:
https://greenbankobservatory.org/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Bank_Observatory
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Bank_Telescope
I am very thankful to Ms. Gregory for sharing her knowledge and time with me.
I learned SO MUCH about radio telescopes and how they are used by scientists to explore the universe.

Previous riddle: What word becomes shorter when you add 2 letters to it?
Answer: The word "short"
Shout out to Brooke (my classmate) and my grand-aunt, Vandana Fai for sending me their answers.

This week’s riddle: I am in Mercury, Earth, Mars and Jupiter but not in Venus or Neptune. What am I?
Email me: [email protected] your answers or anything else! I love reading your emails!
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