Very Large Array

Very Large Array???? We first saw the VLA in April on our way home through New Mexico. It is one of those sites one doesn't expect to see, much less see it in its current location. So when we came back to our winter home this month using the same highway, I was ready with the camera and did a bit of research on the VLA which is a radio astronomy observatory.

As we entered the Plains of San Agustin, this is the site that greeted us: white satellite dishes pointing skyward. Elevation: 6970 above sea level; temperature last Wednesday morning 27º F when I stepped out to take pictures at 8:00 AM.

27 antennas in a Y configuration, collect data on quasars, pulsars, supernova remnants, gamma ray bursts, radio-emitting stars, the sun and planets, black holes, etc. Each arm of the Y is 13 miles long.

The Array Operations Center (AOC) for the VLA is located on the campus of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro, New Mexico.

 There is a visitor's center and tours are available...maybe next time. The tall, box-like structure is the antenna assembly building.

Each antenna has a dish diameter of 25 meters (82 feet) and weighs 209 metric tons. Notice the tractor next to the pile of dirt on the left.

This photo is from their website. It shows train tracks by each dish which allow the antennas to be moved into tighter configurations. They are moved every three or four months. The train tracks are not visible from the highway. The VLA was built in the 1970s and has been featured in several books, movies and music videos.

We'll definitely drive into the site the next time we pass by.