Allen Telescope Array

Allen Telescope Array
The Allen Telescope Array (ATA-42), October 11, 2007.
Alternative namesATA Edit this on Wikidata
Named afterPaul Allen Edit this on Wikidata
Part ofHat Creek Radio Observatory Edit this on Wikidata
Location(s)California, Pacific States Region
Coordinates40°49′04″N 121°28′24″W / 40.8178°N 121.4733°W / 40.8178; -121.4733 Edit this at Wikidata
OrganizationRadio Astronomy Laboratory
SETI Institute Edit this on Wikidata
Altitude986 m (3,235 ft) Edit this at Wikidata
Wavelength60, 2.7 cm (500, 11,100 MHz)
Telescope styleGregorian telescope
radio interferometer Edit this on Wikidata
Number of telescopes42 Edit this on Wikidata
Diameter6.1 m (20 ft 0 in) Edit this at Wikidata
Secondary diameter2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) Edit this at Wikidata
Collecting area1,227 m2 (13,210 sq ft) Edit this at Wikidata
Websitewww.seti.org/ata Edit this at Wikidata
Allen Telescope Array is located in the United States
Allen Telescope Array
Location of Allen Telescope Array
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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.

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]

  1. ^ Terdiman, Daniel (12 December 2008). "SETI's large-scale telescope scans the skies". CNET News. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 2008-12-12.
  2. ^ John Johnson Jr. (1 June 2008). "Aliens get a new switchboard: a SETI radio telescope in Northern California". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 4 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
  3. ^ Dalton, Rex (1 August 2000). "Microsoft moguls back search for ET intelligence". Nature. 406 (6796): 551. doi:10.1038/35020722. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 10949267. S2CID 4415108.
  4. ^ Dennis Overbye (11 October 2007). "Stretching the Search for Signs of Life". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
  5. ^ Staff writers (12 October 2007). "Skies to be swept for alien life". BBC News. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-12.
  6. ^ Shostak, Seth (2009). "When Will We Find the Extraterrestrials?" (PDF). SETI.org. Engineering & Science. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 April 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  7. ^ Hardy, Michael (2011-04-29). "SETI stops listening for alien signals: Radio telescope array shut down due to funding cuts". Federal Computer Week. Archived from the original on 2011-10-03. Retrieved 2011-09-19.
  8. ^ Pierson, Tom (22 April 2011). "Status of the Allen Telescope Array" (PDF). SETI.org. SETI Institute. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  9. ^ Cook, John (August 7, 2011). "Search for ET continues as Paul Allen-backed telescope hits short-term funding goal". GeekWire. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  10. ^ "SETI Search Resumes at Allen Telescope Array, Targeting New Planets" (Press release). SETI Institute. December 5, 2011. Archived from the original on 8 December 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  11. ^ Robert Sanders (April 13, 2012). "UC Berkeley passes management of Allen Telescope Array to SRI". UC Berkeley NewsCenter. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  12. ^ Harp, Gerald R. "SETI Signal Searching". SETI.org. SETI Institute. Archived from the original on 5 June 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  13. ^ Shostak, Seth (8 August 2014). "Forest Fires in Vicinity of Allen Telescope Array". SETI.org. SETI Institute. Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.

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