RATAN-600
View of the observatory from a neighboring hill | |
| Alternative names | Academy of Sciences Radio Telescope – 600 |
|---|---|
| Location(s) | Zelenchukskaya, Zelenchukskoye rural settlement, Zelenchuksky District, Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia |
| Coordinates | 43°49′33″N 41°35′11″E / 43.8258°N 41.5864°E |
| Altitude | 970 m (3,180 ft) |
| Wavelength | 1.38, 2.70, 3.90, 7.6, 13, 31.1 cm (21.72, 11.10, 7.69, 3.94, 2.31, 0.96 GHz) |
| Built | 1968–1977 |
| First light | 12 July 1974 |
| Telescope style | radio telescope |
| Diameter | 576 m (1,889 ft 9 in) |
| Collecting area | 12,000 m2 (130,000 sq ft) |
| Website | www |
| Related media on Commons | |
The RATAN-600 (Russian: РАТАН-600 – радиоастрономический телескоп Академии наук – 600, an acronym for the "Academy of Sciences Radio Telescope – 600") is a radio telescope in Zelenchukskaya, Karachay–Cherkess Republic, Russia. It comprises a 576 m diameter circle of rectangular radio reflectors and a set of secondary reflectors and receivers, based at an altitude of 970 m. Each of the 895 2×7.4 m reflectors can be angled to reflect incoming radio waves towards a central conical secondary mirror, or to one of five parabolic cylinders. Each secondary reflector is combined with an instrumentation cabin containing various receivers and instruments. The overall effect is that of a partially steerable antenna with a maximum resolving power of a nearly 600 m diameter dish, when using the central conical receiver, making it the world's largest-diameter individual radio telescope.