Posted on 10/09/2020 4:01:22 PM PDT by MtnClimber
Explanation: An inspirational sight, these giant dish antennas of the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) rise above the New Mexico desert at moonset. Mounted on piers but transportable on railroad tracks to change the VLA’s configuration, its 27 operating antennas are each house-sized (25 meters across) and can be organized into an array spanning the size of a city (35 kilometers). A prolific radio astronomy workhorse, the VLA has been used to discover water on planet Mercury, radio-bright coronae around stars, micro-quasars in our Galaxy, gravitationally-induced Einstein rings around distant galaxies, and radio counterparts to cosmologically distant gamma-ray bursts. Its vast size has allowed astronomers to study the details of radio galaxies, super-fast cosmic jets, and map the center of our own Milky Way. Now 40 years since its dedication the VLA has been used in more than 14,000 observing projects and contributed to more than 500 Ph.D. dissertations. On October 10, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory will host a day-long online celebration of the VLA at 40 featuring virtual tours and presentations on the history, operations, science, and future of the Very Large Array.
(Excerpt) Read more at apod.nasa.gov ...
For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then zoom by moving the magnifying glass over an area and then clicking. The side bars will move the zoomed area over the photograph.
Pinging the APOD list.
I was there back in the 80’s. The movie ‘Contact’ had scenes from here.
put me on your list. Mrs abb & I usually walk at 5 am every morning. Venus has been unusually bright here the last few months.
I enjoyed that flick.
You have been added to the list. I have seen Venus in the morning and Mars in the evening. Orion is also visible in the morning.
If you hold a mirror at just the right angle, you can see Uranus at any time of day.
Here is a sister system in Australia.
I was an exploration geologist that spent a brief time in the Datil, NM area where the VLA is located. I never tired of looking at it.
Yeah, me too.
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One of my favorite movies.
Thank you for so faithfully posting the APOD. The pics are awesome and beautiful.
Scenes from 2010 were also filmed there.
Love the place. Been there 3 times. Have my very large coffee mug. Not too much further to Pie Town either.
Signal intercepted from deep space: drinkyourovaltine.
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