Invicta Vlogs
The place where there is no Technology!
The place where there is no Technology!
A time for reflection? Do you want a digital break? – we have found just the place…
Are you constantly posting on Instagram or calling your friends? If so, you might not want to visit Green Bank in West Virginia. You want to know why? Because, no wireless signals are allowed, no mobile phones, not even the automatic shop doors are allowed!
Too much?
The part about the automatic doors seems extreme but it is true. There is a shop in Green Bank that was told to downgrade its entrance because the radio signals were interfering with the most important resident in Green Bank; the largest steerable radio telescope in the world.
Why?
The small town of Green Bank is in the National Radio Quiet Zone. This is a 13,000-square-mile region where all signals that come from our planet are banned, so that “un-earthly” signals can be heard. It has been this way since 1958. However, back then, there was less technology and now it is becoming harder and harder to avoid using technology! Around 50% of the world’s population uses the Internet every day. More people use technology than ever before and this number is growing daily. Imagine what it would be like to have to be left out of the technological advancements (and group chats) just because of where you live? Have you ever struggled without technology?
So what is banned?
Nowadays, there is a pretty long list of what is not allowed in Green Bank. To start with, obviously phones are a big ‘no’, but also; no WiFi routers, baby monitors, automatic garage doors, Bluetooth speakers, wireless doorbells, microwaves and all the other gadgets that we use that convert electrical energy into sound or radio signals. The reason all of our modern technology is not allowed is because the telescope there, is so sensitive it picks up the energy of a billionth of a billionth of a millionth of a watt.
All kinds of electrical devices can overwhelm the telescope. So, they have hired specialists to find the source of any disruptive signals. Vacuum cleaners have frequently been known to give off signals that can confuse the telescope.
So what does the telescope do?
All of this is done so that the telescope can pick up what is floating out in our universe. The radio telescope is extremely large taking up 2.3 acres, or about one hectare and it is taller than the Statue of Liberty! Its size is needed so it can track the slight changes across space. In January this year, it made an exciting discovery. It identified organic molecules which were travelling about space. They would never have discovered them if there had been one person in the area who could not resist their Snapchat addiction!
Our “Set Your Hands Free” week was a little while ago now. If you found that tricky to manage, imagine how the people in Green Bank West Virginia must live each day? But, if you ever do want a complete technological break, you now know where to go!
