Grote Rebar - early pioneer of radio astronomy.

What? Who?

Grote Rebar built the first radio telescope in 1937.

Mr. Rebar a resident of Wheaton, Illinois, constructed the telescope in his backyard. According to the Green Bank Observatory, where the original telescope currently resides, the mirror was 31.4’ in diameter and made of sheet metal. In 1938, with his telescope and third receiver, Rebar was successful in detecting radio emissions from the Milky Way.

Grote Rebar’s homemade radio telescope in Wheaton, IL.

Rebar worked at night because there was too much interference from the sparks in automobile engines during the day. Today’s radio astronomers receive interference from satellites. Green Bank Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia recently warned that transmissions from satellites can swamp out the radio waves astronomers use to learn about black holes, newly forming stars, and the evolution of galaxies.

When Rebar built the first radio telescope in Wheaton, just west of Chicago, there were no satellites.

Today, there are about 10 thousand satellites. It is estimated that within the next decade there may be as many as 400,000 - 500,000! Not only do satellites reflect the sun’s light as do our moon and neighboring planets, they also make radio noise!

As with most things involving the sky above us, there are few regulations that govern satellites, the number of satellites and their effect on light and radio pollution.

When Rebar went to work in his backyard to avoid the interference from sparks from passing automobiles, he saw thousands of stars with his naked eyes. No massively lit parking lots, no satellites, no satellite trains. Today in Wheaton, he MIGHT be able to see 30 stars with his naked eyes. My hunch is that if Grote Rebar was alive today (he died in 2002 in Tanzania); he would advocate for darker and quieter nights.

– by Adam Kreuzer, IDA Delegate