Allen Telescope Array
Radio telescope array / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Allen Telescope Array (ATA), formerly known as the One Hectare Telescope (1hT), is a radio telescope array dedicated to astronomical observations and a simultaneous search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI).[1][2] The array is situated at the Hat Creek Radio Observatory in Shasta County, 290 miles (470 km) northeast of San Francisco, California.
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Alternative names | ATA |
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Named after | Paul Allen |
Part of | Hat Creek Radio Observatory |
Location(s) | California, Pacific States Region |
Coordinates | 40°49′04″N 121°28′24″W |
Organization | Radio Astronomy Laboratory SETI Institute |
Altitude | 986 m (3,235 ft) |
Wavelength | 60, 2.7 cm (500, 11,100 MHz) |
Telescope style | Gregorian telescope radio interferometer |
Number of telescopes | 42 |
Diameter | 6.1 m (20 ft 0 in) |
Secondary diameter | 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) |
Collecting area | 1,227 m2 (13,210 sq ft) |
Website | www |
Related media on Commons | |
The project was originally developed as a joint effort between the SETI Institute and the Radio Astronomy Laboratory (RAL) at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), with funds obtained from an initial US$12.5 million donation by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and Nathan Myhrvold.[3] The first phase of construction was completed and the ATA finally became operational on 11 October 2007 with 42 antennas (ATA-42), after Paul Allen (co-founder of Microsoft) had pledged an additional $13.5 million to support the construction of the first and second phases.[4][5]
Although overall Allen has contributed more than $30 million to the project, it has not succeeded in building the 350 6.1 m (20 ft) dishes originally conceived,[6] and the project suffered an operational hiatus due to funding shortfalls between April and August 2011, after which observations resumed.[7][8][9][10] Subsequently, UC Berkeley exited the project, completing divestment in April 2012. The facility is now managed by SRI International (formerly Stanford Research Institute), an independent, nonprofit research institute.[11] As of 2016, the SETI Institute performs observations[12] with the ATA between the hours of 6 pm and 6 am daily.
In August 2014, the installation was threatened by a forest fire in the area and was briefly forced to shut down, but ultimately emerged largely unscathed.[13]