The new era of large paraboloid antennas: the life of Prof. Dr. Otto Hachenberg

Abstract. Seldom does a scientist get an opportunity in his lifetime to build an instrument that remains unchallenged as the world’s no. 1 for 30 years. The Effelsberg 100- m radio telescope, constructed under the direction of Prof. Dr. Otto Hachenberg, was the world’s largest fully steerable paraboloid antenna since its inauguration in 1971. The radio telescope in a valley in the Eifel mountains near Bonn was constructed with a remarkably precise surface and excellent pointing characteristics. Only in 2001 the 100-m × 110-m Green Bank Telescope became operational and marginally surpassed Effelsberg’s performance. The Effelsberg telescope is still fully operational in 2002 and looking forward to an exciting future. It is a memorial to the ingenuity of a person who influenced the development of German radio astronomy.