The History of Radio Astronomy and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory: Evolution Toward Big Science

In making the invisible universe visible, radio telescopes allow astronomers to see through the local universe of nearby stars to view a distant universe. Radio astronomy has revealed unanticipated phenomena and provided insights into the composition, physical characteristics and evolution of previously unknown objects in the universe. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) at West Virginia has contributed to this scientific revolution. This study traces the story of radio astronomy from its accidental beginnings in the 1930s to the present, describes the development of NRAO instrumentation, and focuses upon the contributions made by scientists using the NRAO instruments.