Big Ear Radio Telescope

The Big Ear Radio Telescope was a pioneering radio observatory built in the 1960s in Ohio, designed to detect radio signals from space. It consisted of a large, flat, fixed antenna that rotated to scan the sky, capturing signals from distant stars, galaxies, and potential extraterrestrial sources. Its most famous project was SETI, searching for intelligent life by listening for unusual signals. The telescope's vast collecting area allowed it to detect faint radio waves, making it a key instrument in radio astronomy and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence before it was decommissioned in the late 1980s.