Historic MarkerLandmark · White Lake, British Columbia
Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory
Canada's national facility for radio astronomy research operated by the National Research Council
The Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory (DRAO) is operated by Canada’s National Research Council (NRC), the country’s premier research and technology organization. The hills surrounding the White Lake basin offer protection from man-made radio interference and make this location an ideal site for Canada’s only radio astronomy observatory.
The observatory is home to several significant radio telescopes including the synthesis telescope array, the 26-metre John A. Galt telescope, and the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME). A series of interpretive signs at the site explain the history, science, and technology of radio astronomy.
The site is designated as a radio quiet zone to protect observations from electromagnetic interference.
