National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Founded in 1956, the NRAO has its headquarters in Charlottesville, VA, and operates major radio telescope facilities at Green Bank, WV, Socorro, NM, and Tucson, AZ. The NRAO is a research facility of the U.S. National Science Foundation providing state-of-the-art radio telescope facilities for the scientific community. It conceives, designs, builds, operates and maintains radio telescopes around the world to study all types of astronomical objects known, from planets and comets in our own Solar System to quasars and galaxies billions of light-years away. Tours are given daily mid-June through Labor Day, beginning at 9am, every hour on the hour until 4pm. Tours are free. Cameras are welcome.