Article Posted on : - Feb 09, 2009

Robert C Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT). NRAO image

RANCHI (PTI): An Indian scientist has rectified the problem of satellite signals interfering with the observation of the universe by the world's largest telescope in the US.

The Robert C Byrd Green Bank Telescope located at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's site at Pocahontas County in West Virginia, US, had been exhibiting the problem ever since it was set up in August 2000, Dr Srikanta Pal, who solved the problem told PTI.

Pal, an associate professor in the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering at the Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, developed the electronics components needed to rectify the problem during his post-doctoral research in the University of Birmingham in the UK under the supervision of Prof Michael J Lancaster.

The scientist said the Radio Astronomy Observatory had approached to his mentor Prof Lancaster to rectify the snag.

Pal, who hails from Bankura district in West Bengal, said he took up the challenge out of sheer interest.
Srikanta Pal, who had worked on High Temperature Superconductors during his D Phil in Oxford University, said he developed filters to prevent the disturbance of signals from satellites to the 485-feet-high radio telescope. He said he had installed two high performance, high temperature superconducting (HTS) bandstop filters at the telescope's front end.

Astronomers in NRAO in their official communication said after installation of the filters, the fully steerable radio telescope "worked better than the desired goals."