Dang it! This is something that would have been a great learning experience for the kiddos…and yes, I’ve really, really wanted to go too…for a long time…since I was a kid myself, but unfortunately it wasn’t open to the public at the moment.  So, for now, patience is the name of the game.

For those who are unaware of what  the VLA is…look no further.  The VLA, (or Very Large Array), is located on the Plains of San Agustin west of Socorro, New Mexico.  The array is made up of 27 radio antennas, each 82 feet in diameter, configured in a Y shape. When information is collected and combined from each antenna it can produce enough resolution that is equivalent to an antenna 22 miles wide and the sensitivity of a dish 433 feet wide.  It really is quite a site, even if it just was from the side of the road.

So what kind of work is done here and what are radio telescopes?

“Just as optical telescopes collect visible light, bring it to a focus, amplify it and make it available for analysis by various instruments, so do radio telescopes collect weak radio light waves, bring it to a focus, amplify it and make it available for analysis. We use radio telescopes to study naturally occurring radio light from stars, galaxies, black holes, and other astronomical objects. We can also use them to transmit and reflect radio light off of planetary bodies in our solar system. These specially-designed telescopes observe the longest wavelengths of light, ranging from 1 millimeter to over 10 meters long. For comparison, visible light waves are only a few hundred nanometers long, and a nanometer is only 1/10,000th the thickness of a piece of paper! In fact, we don’t usually refer to radio light by its wavelength, but by its frequency.” 

For more click here.

I am by no means an expert in this area, but I am fascinated by the exploration of space and that’s good enough for me.  And until next time…perusing the VLA website in conjunction with watching the movie “Contact” will be my go to resources to satisfy my enthusiasm for the great unknown.

 

 

 

 

VLA Gift Shop Phone Number: 575-835-7410

VLA Directions

The Very Large Array Radio Telescope is a two hour drive from Albuquerque, 50 miles west of Socorro, New Mexico.

When driving west from Socorro:

  1. Travel through the small town of Magdalena and continue on US-60.
  2. Turn left onto NM-52 just west of mile marker 93.
  3. Drive 2.5 miles then turn right on NM-166 (Old Highway 60).
  4. Drive 1.6 miles and the VLA Visitor Center will be on your right.

When driving east from the Arizona border on US-60:

  1. Drive through the town of Datil. Just past mile marker 90 you will cross rail road tracks that mark the North arm of the array.
  2. Continue east on US-60 past mile marker 92 and turn right onto NM-52.
  3. Drive 2.5 miles and then turn right on NM-166 (Old Highway 60).
  4. Drive 1.6 miles and the VLA Visitor Center will be on your right.