RATAN-600: the World's biggest reflector at the 'cross roads'

The RATAN-600 new-technology telescope, which supplies about one-quarter of the observational material in Russia in the field of radio astronomy and more than 80% in the central, centimeter-decimeter range, is described. The RATAN-600 is the first multi-element-reflector radio telescope without any structure linking the surface elements. The functions normally performed by such structure are executed by the Earth's surface. It is also the first radio telescope with a controlled-shape surface. In observations at different elevations above the horizon, the shape of its surface varies, remaining in the family of second-order surfaces. The RATAN-600 is also the first aperture-synthesis reflector-type telescope. The location of the radio telescope, its design, its modes of operation, and its future prospects are discussed.<
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