RATAN-600

RATAN-600
View of the observatory from a neighboring hill
Alternative namesAcademy of Sciences Radio Telescope – 600 Edit this at Wikidata
Location(s)Zelenchukskaya, Zelenchukskoye rural settlement, Zelenchuksky District, Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia
Coordinates43°49′33″N 41°35′11″E / 43.8258°N 41.5864°E / 43.8258; 41.5864 Edit this at Wikidata
Altitude970 m (3,180 ft) Edit this at Wikidata
Wavelength1.38, 2.70, 3.90, 7.6, 13, 31.1 cm (21.72, 11.10, 7.69, 3.94, 2.31, 0.96 GHz)
Built1968–1977 (1968–1977) Edit this at Wikidata
First light12 July 1974 Edit this on Wikidata
Telescope styleradio telescope Edit this on Wikidata
Diameter576 m (1,889 ft 9 in) Edit this at Wikidata
Collecting area12,000 m2 (130,000 sq ft) Edit this at Wikidata
Websitewww.sao.ru/ratan/ Edit this at Wikidata
RATAN-600 is located in Russia
RATAN-600
Location of RATAN-600
  Related media on Commons
One of the conical secondary reflectors of the RATAN-600 on a 1987 USSR postal stamp

The RATAN-600 (Russian: РАТАН-600 – радиоастрономический телескоп Академии наук – 600, an acronym for the "Academy of Sciences Radio Telescope – 600") is a radio telescope in Zelenchukskaya, Karachay–Cherkess Republic, Russia. It comprises a 576 m diameter circle of rectangular radio reflectors and a set of secondary reflectors and receivers, based at an altitude of 970 m. Each of the 895 2×7.4 m reflectors can be angled to reflect incoming radio waves towards a central conical secondary mirror, or to one of five parabolic cylinders. Each secondary reflector is combined with an instrumentation cabin containing various receivers and instruments. The overall effect is that of a partially steerable antenna with a maximum resolving power of a nearly 600 m diameter dish, when using the central conical receiver, making it the world's largest-diameter individual radio telescope.