What is the purpose of the VLA?
The VLA is a multi-purpose instrument designed to allow investigations of many astronomical objects, including radio galaxies, quasars, pulsars, supernova remnants, gamma-ray bursts, radio-emitting stars, the sun and planets, astrophysical masers, black holes, and the hydrogen gas that constitutes a large portion of …
What is VLA in astronomy?
Very Large Array (VLA), radio telescope system situated on the plains of San Agustin near Socorro, New Mexico, U.S. The VLA went into operation in 1980 and is the most powerful radio telescope in the world. It is operated by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory.
What is the VLA in New Mexico?
Very Large Array Radio Telescope facility
The Very Large Array Radio Telescope facility is a two-hour drive from Albuquerque, 50 miles west of Socorro, New Mexico. The Visitor Center features an award-winning documentary narrated by Jodie Foster, plus exhibits describing radio astronomy and the VLA telescope.
What has the VLA telescope discovered?
Major discoveries made by the VLA have ranged from the surprising detection of water ice on Mercury, the nearest planet to the Sun, to the first detection of radio emission from a Gamma Ray Burster in 1997.
Why do the VLA astronomers do these different arrangements?
It’s one of the reasons you can see clearly in bright daylight, while things can look more blurry in dim light. By arranging antennas into different configurations, the VLA can overcome this challenge, allowing it to capture both sharp images and faint objects depending on the needs of astronomers.
What kind of light is the VLA used for?
Answer: The VLA, and all telescopes that operate at radio wavelengths, collect information from the part of the electromagnetic spectrum which corresponds to radio frequencies. Recall that “light” also comes from that same electromagnetic spectrum, but from a higher-frequency end of this spectrum of energy.
What does the VLA look like?
The Very Large Array (VLA) is one of the world’s premier astronomical radio observatories. The VLA consists of 27 antennas arranged in a huge Y pattern up to 36km (22 miles) across — roughly one and a half times the size of Washington, DC.
Why do they move the VLA every four months?
They are moved every four months to one of four different configurations. This allows the combination of data from different depths that increases the detail level.
How does the VLA telescope work?
The VLA is an interferometer array, using the combined views of its 27 antennas to mimic the view of a telescope as big across as the farthest distance between its antennas. For the VLA, this can range from less than a mile to over 22 miles across!
What part of the electromagnetic spectrum does the VLA observe?
radio frequencies
Answer: The VLA, and all telescopes that operate at radio wavelengths, collect information from the part of the electromagnetic spectrum which corresponds to radio frequencies. Recall that “light” also comes from that same electromagnetic spectrum, but from a higher-frequency end of this spectrum of energy.