Photo – Page 73 – National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Plains of San Agustin before VLA tracks were installed

Aerial Shot of VLA Before Tracks

Before the Very Large Array’s 40 miles of double-track railway were installed, the Plains of San Agustin in central New Mexico looked like this.

VLA Antenna on Transporter

A 200-ton antenna is carefully hauled back out into the Very Large Array on board an Antenna Transporter. The Transporter rides the rails that form a large Y-shape across the Plains of San Agustin in central New Mexico.

The VLA at Sunset

The silhouettes of the Y-shaped Very Large Array working hard against a gorgeous sunset in central New Mexico.

VLA Lone Antenna Near Sunset

Clouds thicken in the east as the Sun sets over the Very Large Array in central New Mexico.

VLA from the Air

An aerial shot looking down toward the center of the Very Large Array in New Mexico.

VLA in Formation

No other radio telescope on Earth has the power and versatility of the Very Large Array in New Mexico. All 27 antennas of the array work in unison to collect radio waves streaming across space from a myriad of fascinating objects that are invisible to other kinds of telescopes.

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