Nokia Bell Labs
The Holmdel Horn Antenna
The Holmdel Horn Antenna
Gregory Wright, nokia bell labs“This is where the noise from the sky and the rest of the universe, when it was first getting started, was first heard and recognised on Earth.”
In 1964, Bell Labs scientists Bob Wilson and Arno Penzias were testing out a new antenna and they discovered a noise. A noise that seemed to be coming from...everywhere.
At first, they thought the machinery was malfunctioning and then that droppings on the antenna from a nearby nest of pigeons might be responsible for the signal. When, at last, they discovered the source of the noise, it led to one of the crucial scientific discoveries of the 20th century; a discovery that won them the 1978 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Gregory Wright, nokia bell labs
“They discovered pigeons...”
We decided to tell this incredible story while filming at the Horn Antenna for another project. Whilst there, Nokia Bell Labs researcher Gregory Wright told us the story of Wilson and Penzias. Won over by his enthusiasm and eccentricity, we grabbed our cameras and recorded the moment. Afterwards, we realised the potential in the footage and returned to get the story from Bob Wilson himself.
Robert Wilson, Nokia Bell Labs, Nobel Laureate
“Arno and I set out to make the best measuring system we could to go with this antenna.”
The film not only tells an important and incredible story, is also captures the spirit and energy of Nokia Bell Labs. It shows the importance of the company’s history as well as the zeal, passion and drive for discovery they have to this day, which is what draws us back to working with them again and again.