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Holmdel, New Jersey: Father of Radio Astronomy - Jansky Monument

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Bellworks

Address:
Crawfords Corner Rd, Holmdel, NJ
Directions:
On the grounds of the former Bell Labs (now Bellworks). Between the traffic orbital paths east of the main building.
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Jansky Monument.

Father of Radio Astronomy - Jansky Monument

Abstract memorial of researcher Karl Jansky's radio antenna, angled the same as the day in 1932 he detected signal noise emanating from the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

Roadsideamerica.com Report... [10/22/2015]

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Radio Astronomy Discovered.

Radio Astronomy Discovered - Jansky Monument

Karl Jansky was a scientist who worked for Bell Laboratories. His job was to try to find the source of the noise that was plaguing transatlantic communications. He set up a big antenna on a farm field in New Jersey, and on September 16, 1932, he found the source of the noise. It came from the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Jansky had unintentionally discovered Radio Astronomy, but Bell Labs couldn't make commercial use of the discovery, and Jansky later died in relative obscurity.

It wasn't until 1998 that the company erected a pseudo-replica of Janksy's antenna as a posthumous tribute, on the exact spot and in the exact position where its momentous discovery was made. Although Bell Labs has since sold the property (which evolved into the tech business campus of BellWorks), the antenna monument is still there, along with a plaque with a portrait of Jansky, intensely serious, and perhaps a bit disappointed he didn't get due credit while he was alive.

[RoadsideAmerica.com Team, 09/16/2022]

Father of Radio Astronomy - Jansky Monument

A monument to the 20th century scientist who figured out how to read "noise" from distant galaxies is surrounded by a new form of background noise. Bell Laboratories researcher Karl Jansky's stylized radio antenna sculpture is now flanked by a recently constructed neighborhood of upscale single family homes. This residential development was part of the plan to save the historic Labs campus.

[RoadsideAmerica.com Team, 06/01/2017]

Nearby Offbeat Places

World's Largest TransistorWorld's Largest Transistor, Holmdel, NJ - < 1 mi.
Vietnam Era Museum & Educational CenterVietnam Era Museum & Educational Center, Holmdel, NJ - 2 mi.
United States War Dog MemorialUnited States War Dog Memorial, Holmdel, NJ - 2 mi.
In the region:
Handprints of the Stars, New York, NY - 27 mi.

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