Very Large Array, New Mexico

[gnagel]

I planned three days at Bosque, but for two of those days the weather wasn't very cooperative. So, I took the middle of one day to tour the Very Large Array--which is basically located in the middle of nowhere (well, 50 miles west of Socorro, NM).

The Very Large Array is a radio astronomy observatory made up of 27 massive radio telescopes. Each dish is 82 feet across and weighs more than 200 tons. They are positioned along three arms of a track shaped in a Y configuration with each arm extending out 13 miles. So, in its widest configuration the telescopes extend 26 miles across.

Here are a couple of images from my visit. Note that I was very restricted on vantage point as the facility does not permit visitors to just wander around!

Back to Bosque del Apache!

Thanks again for looking...
Glenn

 

[Soocom1]

i have always loved the shots of the VLA and its use in movies.

Yours in B&W tell a really great story. Especially the stark white contrast to the background.

I have to comment on one other aspect.

The road you took from Magdalina to the VLA and that heads to Datle is a perfectly straight 26 mile stretch.

My father was a surveyor for the NM Highway Commission in the 1950's. He surveyed and spect-ed that road and had told many humorous stories of that and the dusty town of Dusty NM.

I am wondering if you were able to take any back roads in the area and saw some of the other topography?

 

[dxqcanada]

Cool!!
I was just rereading a book about the Big Bang (it's a great bed time story) and this just reminded me of Jansky (which the VLA was renamed to).

 

[gnagel]

i have always loved the shots of the VLA and its use in movies.

Yours in B&W tell a really great story. Especially the stark white contrast to the background.

I have to comment on one other aspect.

The road you took from Magdalina to the VLA and that heads to Datle is a perfectly straight 26 mile stretch.

My father was a surveyor for the NM Highway Commission in the 1950's. He surveyed and spect-ed that road and had told many humorous stories of that and the dusty town of Dusty NM.

I am wondering if you were able to take any back roads in the area and saw some of the other topography?

Thanks! My timing was good in that I was able to catch a tour--which is only done every other Saturday. I didn't realize the stretch was that straight!

I didn't take any back roads that day. My primary goal was to do some photography at Bosque--and conditions finally improved there after a couple of days. Later that day, I spent a while photographing the interior of the San Miguel Church in Socorro.

Cool!!
I was just rereading a book about the Big Bang (it's a great bed time story) and this just reminded me of Jansky (which the VLA was renamed to).

My tour at the VLA was fascinating, but it also made me realize how little I know about science. Much of the time, it was as if the scientists conducting were speaking a foreign language!

Glenn

 

[480sparky]

Where's Jodi Foster?

 

[zulu42]

You should have asked if they had an F-mount adapter.

Seriously cool shots. I don't think I've seen them in a cluster like that. Fascinating, great black and white. I bet that would make a neat IR shot.

 

[Grandpa Ron]

What time of day did to catch the beautiful cloud cover. It has always been clear on my trips through NM.

 

[Jeff15]

Good set.......

 

[OldManJim]

Nice job of capturing those images. Sometimes we go somewhere to take images only to be foiled by circumstances beyond our control. Glad to see you overcame the weather and actually made it part of your images.

 

[gnagel]

Where's Jodi Foster?

She was part of the film in the visitors center.

You should have asked if they had an F-mount adapter.

Seriously cool shots. I don't think I've seen them in a cluster like that. Fascinating, great black and white. I bet that would make a neat IR shot.

Thanks...haven't delved into the IR realm yet.

What time of day did to catch the beautiful cloud cover. It has always been clear on my trips through NM.

Thanks...these were taken between noon and 1pm.

Good set.......

Thanks Jeff

Nice job of capturing those images. Sometimes we go somewhere to take images only to be foiled by circumstances beyond our control. Glad to see you overcame the weather and actually made it part of your images.

Thank you...for these I thought the harsh noon sunlight called for B&W.

Glenn

 

[K9Kirk]

Nice set, very interesting!

 

[PJM]

Nice shots! Great perspective on them.