An historical marker was recently placed near Seneca, Maryland, at the site where DTM astronomers discovered the first radio emissions from another planet (Jupiter) in 1955. At the time of their discovery Bernard Burke and Kenneth Franklin were using a 96-acre radio antenna array called a “Mills Cross.” While scanning the sky in the vicinity of the Crab nebula, they noticed a source of large bursts of energy. By repeating these measurements they were able to determine that the source was Jupiter. Their discovery helped advance the relatively new field of radio astronomy, an important component of DTM’s early astronomical work.

A celebration is currently being planned to commemorate this important 50-year old discovery. The DTM event will take place in conjunction with a public lecture on the topic of radio astronomy, to be given at the Carnegie Institution in the fall. We will post more details as they become available.

The marker is located west of Seneca, Maryland, off of River Road, at the McKee Beshers Wildlife Management Area. For a full-size image of the marker, please click here.