{"id":2899,"date":"2010-03-24T08:08:25","date_gmt":"2010-03-24T15:08:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/?p=2899"},"modified":"2022-12-28T14:28:50","modified_gmt":"2022-12-28T22:28:50","slug":"pics-of-the-very-large-array","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/2010\/03\/pics-of-the-very-large-array\/","title":{"rendered":"A visit to the Very Large Array"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"VLA<\/p>\n

The Very Large Array<\/a> (VLA) is an NRAO<\/a>-operated radio telescope facility located approximately 50 miles west of Socorro<\/a>, New Mexico.\u00a0 The array operates on the principle that data collected from each of the 27 independent dish antennas can be combined<\/a> in such a way that the array acts like a single, much larger radio telescope.<\/p>\n

I had a chance to see the VLA for the first time last year while traveling through New Mexico.<\/p>\n

Upon arriving at the VLA, a visitor center welcomed us with some exhibits about research being done at the facility a short video, a self-guided tour, and a gift shop where you can buy space-themed souvenirs and Astronaut Ice Cream<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Very<\/p>\n

A few of the exhibits were particularly interesting to me given my previous experience with microwave RF circuits<\/a>.\u00a0 One was a cross-section of a 3.6cm feedhorn and receiver setup as found on the dishes (view the full size poster more details<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\"3.6cm <\/a><\/p>\n

The highlight of the tour, of course, is the opportunity to get up close to an operating dish.\u00a0 After a short hike from the visitors center, I found myself in the shadow of one of the VLA’s massive white dish antennas.\u00a0 Every minute or two, the dish moved slightly to stay pointed at the same point in the sky despite Earth’s rotation.\u00a0\u00a0 Standing under the dish, listening to the roar of the refrigeration units that keep the receivers cool, I couldn’t help but wonder if I should have pursued a career in radio astronomy!<\/p>\n

\"VLA<\/p>\n

Our last stop on the tour was the\u00a0 service yard.\u00a0 Each dish is rotated out of service for maintenance on a regular basis. \u00a0 This is where the dishes are maintained in the safety of a huge repair hangar.<\/p>\n

\"Dish<\/p>\n

Was my visit to the VLA worth a 100 mile detour across the New Mexico desert?\u00a0 Absolutely!<\/p>\n

Want to see more?\u00a0 There are lots more pictures of the VLA<\/a> in my Flickr photostream.
\n<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Very Large Array (VLA) is an NRAO-operated radio telescope facility located approximately 50 miles west of Socorro, New Mexico.\u00a0 The array operates on the principle that data collected from each of the 27 independent dish antennas can be combined in such a way that the array acts like a single, much larger radio telescope. … Continue reading A visit to the Very Large Array<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[331,167,330],"class_list":["post-2899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-electronics","tag-roadtrip","tag-science","tag-vla"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pioCd-KL","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":840,"url":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/2008\/12\/hubble-space-telescope-advent-calendar-2008\/","url_meta":{"origin":2899,"position":0},"title":"Hubble Space Telescope Advent Calendar 2008","author":"Jeff","date":"December 18, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"If you haven't seen this, check it out.\u00a0 This is amazing stuff - and there's still a whole week of images left before Christmas! Hubble Space Telescope Advent Calendar 2008 - The Big Picture - Boston.com","rel":"","context":"In \"astronomy\"","block_context":{"text":"astronomy","link":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/tag\/astronomy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Antennae Galaxies Collide","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/12\/04_antennae_s.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1785,"url":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/2009\/05\/aprs-tracker\/","url_meta":{"origin":2899,"position":1},"title":"APRS Tracker","author":"Jeff","date":"May 4, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"This week, my brother is relocating from the San Francico Bay Area to Texarkana, Texas.\u00a0 I'm helping him move, so for the next two weeks we'll be on a road trip through California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and maybe a little bit of Oklahoma.\u00a0 We're planning to see the Very\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Amateur Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Amateur Radio","link":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/category\/amateur-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"APRS Tracker","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mightyohm.com\/files\/flickr\/3482910237_624bbb3bb5.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2419,"url":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/2009\/09\/sutro-tower-updates-photos-links\/","url_meta":{"origin":2899,"position":2},"title":"Sutro Tower Construction Updates, Photos, Links","author":"Jeff","date":"September 21, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Back in February, I first posted about the DTV conversion project that was beginning to make waves\u00b9 at San Francisco's iconic Sutro Tower wireless broadcast facility. Since then, there have been some big changes at the tower: the end of analog television broadcasts in June, the complete removal and replacement\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"broadcast\"","block_context":{"text":"broadcast","link":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/tag\/broadcast\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sutro Tower DTV Conversion Progress","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mightyohm.com\/files\/flickr\/3923695815_b3a9b5c237.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":13091,"url":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/2020\/02\/mike-and-key-arc-swap-meet-march-7th-2020\/","url_meta":{"origin":2899,"position":3},"title":"Mike and Key ARC Swap Meet March 7th, 2020","author":"Jeff","date":"February 15, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The 39th annual Mike and Key ARC Swap Meet will take place on Saturday, March 7th, 2020 at the Washington State Fairgrounds in Puyallup. This is one of my favorite ham radio events in the Seattle area and I'll be there again this year, hopefully with a seller's table (still\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Amateur Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Amateur Radio","link":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/category\/amateur-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/img_2203-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/img_2203-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/img_2203-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/img_2203-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/img_2203-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/img_2203-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1887,"url":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/2009\/05\/building-a-wifi-radio-part-10-building-the-box\/","url_meta":{"origin":2899,"position":4},"title":"Building a Wifi Radio – Part 10, Building the Box","author":"Jeff","date":"May 29, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"This is the tenth and final part of a series about building a low cost, open source streaming internet radio based on the ASUS WL-520gU Wireless Router.\u00a0 If you haven\u2019t already, check out the previous parts (see the links below) for some background about the project. Wow, we've come a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Electronics"","block_context":{"text":"Electronics","link":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/category\/electronics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"http:\/\/www.ftjcfx.com\/image-3238164-10440897","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2777,"url":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/2010\/03\/photos-of-the-black-hole\/","url_meta":{"origin":2899,"position":5},"title":"Photos of The Black Hole","author":"Jeff","date":"March 2, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Last May, my brother and I went on a week-long roadtrip across the US.\u00a0 Ambling down the highway in a very large moving truck, we travelled from California to Texas by way of\u00a0 Tuscon, Socorro, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Los Alamos, and quite a few rest stops, gas stations, and fast\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Electronics"","block_context":{"text":"Electronics","link":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/category\/electronics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Black Hole","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mightyohm.com\/files\/flickr\/3516374199_6467b52aba.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2899","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2899"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2899\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15899,"href":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2899\/revisions\/15899"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mightyohm.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}