Visit to the “Very Large Array” National Radio Astronomy Site, Socorro, NM

This past Sunday, June 2, Alice and I went for a little road trip… something which we are prone to do often.   We had heard about the National Radio Astronomy ‘s site, located about 120 miles from where we are camped at Elephant Butte RV Resort in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico   We wanted to see it first hand.  

This site was made famous in the Carl Sagan movie, ‘Contact’ starring Jodi Foster.   The site is located in the ‘Plain of San Agustin” about 50 miles west of Socorro, NM…   If that did not lose you, here is a link to a Web Site with good directions and more.

Link to VLA Web Site

Notable, that on the way we had lunch at the Magdalena Café, in a little town on US 60 named (what else?) Magdalena, NM.    The Café is a local restaurant, well attended by the local folks… and one of a kind Cowboy interior. 

The pictures below… The VLA is located on the “Plains of San Agustin”, a huge flat high desert plain (7,000 ft.) surrounded by mountains, and crossed by US Hwy 60 going East & West.   The VLA antennas are positioned by Train Tracks, shaped in a very large ‘ Y “… evidently a better  layout for conducting Radio Astronomy.

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This is the VLA Visitor Center.   There is an excellent museum inside, and the cost is free…. and a wonderful volunteer manning the Center’s Gift Center.   The main activity is to take the self-guided walking tour, with preplanned stopping points.   It is about a 45 minute walk, and fascinating to do.

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An “up close” of the closest Antenna on the walking tour.    It is quite impressive.IMG_1290

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