Guide to the Records of the Owens Valley Radio Observatory, 1956-1967
Processed by Laurence M. Dupray.
Archives
California Institute of Technology
1200 East California Blvd.
Mail Code 015A-74
Pasadena, CA 91125
Phone: (626) 395-2704
Fax: (626) 793-8756
Email: archives@caltech.edu
URL: http://archives.caltech.edu
© 2003
California Institute of Technology. All rights reserved.
Guide to the Records of the Owens Valley Radio Observatory, 1956-1967
Collection number: Consult repository
Archives
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, California
Contact Information:
- Archives
- California Institute of Technology
- 1200 East California Blvd.
- Mail Code 015A-74
- Pasadena, CA 91125
- Phone: (626) 395-2704
- Fax: (626) 793-8756
- Email: archives@caltech.edu
- URL: http://archives.caltech.edu
- Processed by:
- Laurence M. Dupray
- Date Completed:
- July 2000
- Encoded by:
- Kevin C. Knox. Derived from XML/EAD encoded file by the Center for History of Physics, American Institute of Physics as part
of a collaborative project (1999) supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
© 2003 California Institute of Technology. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Owens Valley Radio Observatory records,
Date (inclusive): 1956-1967
Collection number: Consult repository
Creator:
Owens Valley Radio Observatory
Extent:
2.5 linear feet
Repository:
California Institute of Technology. Archives.
Pasadena, California 91125
Abstract: The Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO) began operations in 1958 with the commissioning of two 90-foot radio telescopes
built by Caltech. It was originally built to study radio galaxies, but is now used to look at the sun's magnetic field. The
collection consists mostly of photographs showing the construction of various radio telescopes.
Language:
English.
Administrative Information
Access
The collection is open for research. Researchers must apply in writing for access.
Publication Rights
Copyright may not have been assigned to the California Institute of Technology Archives. All requests for permission to publish
or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of the Archives. Permission for publication is given on
behalf of the California Institute of Technology Archives as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include
or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item, box and file number], The Records of the Owens Valley Radio Observatory. Archives, California Institute
of Technology.
Acquisition Information
The OVRO collection was donated to the Institute Archives in 1999 by Dr. Anneila Sargent, current director of the Owens Valley
Radio Observatory.
History of Owens Valley Radio Observatory
The Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO), the largest university-operated radio observatory, came to life in the late 1940s
through the influence of three individuals: Lee DuBridge, president of Caltech; Robert Bacher, chairman of the Division of
Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy; and Jesse Greenstein, professor of astrophysics. In 1954, Caltech occupied a central position
in the American radio astronomy program. John Bolton and Gordon Stanley, two respected Australian astronomers, joined the
Caltech faculty in order to undertake the construction of large dishes. In 1956 the first radio telescope, a 32-foot antenna,
was erected on Palomar Mountain. It was dismantled in 1958 and transferred to the Owens Valley site. At the same time, two
90-foot (27-meter) telescopes were completed. Ten years later, an even bigger antenna, a 130-foot (40-meter) dish was finished.
It was originally built to study radio galaxies but is now used to look at the sun's magnetic field. The last major instrument
at the observatory is the millimeter-wave array. It consists of six 34-foot (10.4-meter) dishes (also called Leighton's dishes).
Scope and Content of Collection
The OVRO collection consists mostly of photographs showing the construction of various telescopes. All the instruments but
the millimeter-wave array are described in the Owens Valley Radio Observatory collection.
Researchers should refer to two excellent articles for additional historical details on radio astronomy and OVRO:
- Cohen, Marshall H. "The Owens Valley Radio Observatory: Early Years."
Engineering & Science 57/3 (Spring 1994), 14-23.
- [Dietrich, Jane.] "...and OVRO at 40."
Engineering & Science 61/3 (1998), 36-41.
Section I. This section is devoted to the oldest radio telescope found at the Owens Valley site, the 32-foot radio telescope.
It contains pictures of the telescope under construction and after completion.
Section II. The beginning of this section contains photographs of the construction of two 90-foot radio telescopes. These
pictures are organized chronologically, starting with aerial views of the construction site and ending with the completed
interferometric array. The last part of the section contains materials gathered for the dedication ceremony, as well as some
engineering notes.
Section III. This section is the most comprehensive of all: it contains a large number of photographs, proposals, engineering
notes and dedication material for the 130-foot radio telescope, the latest to be built at OVRO.
Section IV. This last section contains only a few pictures, which were not taken at the Owens Valley facility. It shows the
Seacliff interferometer in Sydney, Australia, with John Bolton observing. This instrument was one of the first radio telescopes
ever built.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection.
Owens Valley Radio Observatory--Photograph Collections
Observatories
California Institute of Technology
Radio telescopes
Photographs
Related Collections
Papers of:
- Marshall H. Cohen
- Jesse Greenstein
- Robert B. Leighton (Information on the millimeter-wave antennas can be found here.)
- Alan T. Moffet
- Bruce Rule
Oral Histories of:
- Marshall H. Cohen [partially restricted until 2010]
- Robert B. Leighton
Series I: 32-Foot Radio Telescope
Box 1, Folder 1
Miscellaneous photographs 1956-1958
Series II: 90-Foot Radio Telescope
Box 1, Folder 5
Building construction 1956
Box 1, Folder 6
Early construction work Dec. 1956-Jan. 1957
Box 1, Folder 7
Parts for antenna and pedestal construction 1958 (Allison Manufacturing Company)
Box 1, Folder 8
Pedestal construction-Frame June-July 1958
Box 1, Folder 9
Pedestal construction-Lower level (with panels) June-July 1958
Box 1, Folder 10
Pedestal construction-Upper level and completion June-July 1958
Box 1, Folder 12
Alidade assembly on pedestal
Box 1, Folder 15
Dish erected onto pedestal (picture with Gordon Stanley)
Box 1, Folder 16
Panels mounting onto dish
Box 1, Folder 17
Control panels n.d. (picture with Gordon Stanley)
Box 1, Folder 23
Notes on "90' antenna array"
Series III: 130-Foot Radio Telescope
Box 2, Folder 2
Telescope model (picture with Bruce Rule and L. DuBridge) n.d.
Box 2, Folder 3
Dish segments Oct. 1966 and Apr. 1967
Box 2, Folder 4
Golden, Rule, Slagle, Hoggan Apr. 1967
Box 2, Folder 5
Dish under construction Oct. 1966
Box 2, Folder 6
Damaged segments after dish was dropped and repairs July 1967
Box 2, Folder 7
Dish completed, not erected Nov. 1966
Box 2, Folder 8
Pedestal construction Apr.-June 1967
Box 2, Folder 9
Lifting of dish onto pedestal July 1967 (picture of Bruce Rule)
Box 2, Folder 10
View of dish erected July 1967
Box 2, Folder 11
Dish panel assembly Aug. 1967
Box 2, Folder 12
Telescope views Sept.-Oct. 1967
Box 2, Folder 13
Alidade base and azimuth bearing at Westinghouse Sunnyvale plant n.d. (picture of Gordon Stanley)
Box 2, Folder 15
Users n.d. (Cannon, W.H.; Cesarsky, D.; Cohen, M.H.; Ewing, M.S.; Fischer, A.M.; Grueff, G.; Hardebeck, E.G.; Harriman, J.A.;
Lockhart, I.A.; Moffet, A.T.; Read, R.B.; Rogstad, D.H.; Seielstad, G.A.; Weliachew, L.N.)
Box 2, Folder 21
Presentation (photographs and negatives) on OVRO
Box 2, Folder 23
For a project in radio astronomy "The construction of a large radio telescope at the Owens Valley observatory." 1962
Box 2, Folder 24
To National Science Foundation (NSF) for a project in radio astronomy "The Owens Valley array." 1969
Box 3, Folder 1
To National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) -- "The Owens Valley interferometer." Feb. 1971
Box 3, Folder 2
"Preliminary servo-uncorrected error distribution of 130' Ø telescope structure at 20 MPH and 10 MPH wind." May 27, 1964
Box 3, Folder 2
"130' Ø radio telescope wind loads." June 13, 1965
Box 3, Folder 3
"Radio telescope-design review." May 13, 1964
Box 3, Folder 3
"Mass moment of inertia of 130' Ø radio telescope." March 8, 1966
Box 3, Folder 4
"Stiffness calculations of drives for 130' Ø radio telescope." Feb. 18, 1964
Box 3, Folder 4
"Foundation survey." Apr. 20, 1964
Box 3, Folder 5
Base carriage, Mar. 19, 1965; pedestal, June 25, 1965; dish, Dec. 19, 1965
Box 3, Folder 6
Boom and apex, Nov. 11, 1964
Box 3, Folder 8
Base truck drive, June 23, 1964; base truck hydraulics, June 25, 1964; azimuth drive, Apr. 2, 1965
Box 3, Folder 9
Elevation drive, June 23, 1964; azimuth preload, June 16, 1964; bearings, Sept. 22, 1965
Series IV: Australian Telescope
Box 3, Folder 10
Seacliff interferometer, Sydney 1952 (picture with John Bolton)
