| The
Very Large Array (VLA) is a radio telescope located outside of Socorro, New Mexico. The
array consists of 27 antennas 82 feet in diameter, spread out along a Y-shaped
baseline. Each of the "dishes" can be moved via railroad tracks to different
locations along the baseline. In the D configuration, the antennas are crowded
together within a half mile from the center of the Y. In the A configuration, the antennas
are stretched out over 13 miles from the center. When the dishes are in this
configuration, their data can be combined to form a radio image equivalent to one produced
by a single antenna 17 miles in diameter. |
 Sunrise at the VLA
(You can
see this picture in the calendar section of the January 2001 issue of Sky &
Telescope!) |
