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Located on Reservoir Road in the Stanford foothills, The Stanford Dish, Palo Alto is a landmark radio telescope with scenic paved trail loops.
Built in 1966 by the Stanford Research institute, the 150-foot diameter (46 meter) dish was funded by the United States Air Force in order to study the composition of the atmosphere. Because of its unique construction with a separate receiver and transmitter, the dish became a powerful means of communicating with satellites and spacecraft.
The dish’s communication range is so strong that it was able to transmit signals to the NASA Voyager spacecrafts on the outer edge of the solar system. The 3.5-mile trail around the dish is popular with runners and joggers.
The Stanford Dish, Palo Alto, 400 Reservoir Road, Stanford, CA 94305, 650-723-2560
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