A Very Large Array

Jon and I headed out on one of our 'drives.'  I love exploring out-of-the-way places in New Mexico.  Today we drove to the Plains of San Agustin,  New Mexico to see the Very Large Array.  What's that you ask?  The Very Large Array (VLA) is a collection of 27 radio antennas located at the NRAO ( National Radio Astronomy Observatory ) site in Socorro, New Mexico. Each antenna in the array measures 82 feet  (25 meters) in diameter and weighs about 230 tons. They are about 95 feet tall (29 meters.) The Y-shaped array can be arranged into 4 different configurations: A, B, C, or D, depending on the distance between the antennas. The VLA is an interferometer, which means that the data from each antenna can be combined electronically so that the array effectively functions as one giant antenna. Dedicated in 1980, the VLA is used by astronomers from around the world to study everything from black holes to planetary nebulae.  Why did they put it in-the-middle-of-no-where New Mexico?  The Plains of San Agustin (not Augustine) are high in elevation, surrounded by a ring of mountains that block interference and far enough away from large populations so they aren't bothered by phone calls or TV broadcasts.

The VLA was featured in the film, "Contact" starring Jodie Foster.  Unfortunately, today the position of the antennas were in their furtherest apart, resulting in not so great photos.  For the film, they were at their closest position as you can see in Jodie's photo.

These are radio antennas, but they aren't listening to anything.  They are seeing radio waves and making pictures of them.  All along I thought they were listening for the aliens that visited Roswell.

For more photos of the Very Large Array click here.