Very Large Array, NM~Letterboxing

On our way to I-25 from NM 60, 50 miles west of Socorro, we stopped off at a fascinating place called the VLA. We were here to explore and find a letterbox nearby. We saw 27 radio antennas in a Y-shaped configuration on the Plains of San Agustin. Each antenna is 82 feet in diameter.

Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of much greater wavelength than those of light.

For centuries, astronomers learned about the sky by studying the light coming from astronomical objects, first by simply looking at the objects, and later by making photographs. Many astronomical objects emit radio waves, but that fact wasn't discovered until 1932. Since then, astronomers have developed sophisticated systems that allow them to make pictures from the radio waves emitted by astronomical objects.

Solar flares and sunspots are strong sources of radio emission. Radio telescopes are used to measure the surface temperatures of all the planets in our solar system as well as some of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Radio waves penetrate much of the gas and dust in space, and the clouds of planetary atmospheres. Radio astronomers can obtain a much clearer picture of stars and galaxies than with optical observation.

Radio astronomy has produced many surprises in the last half-century. By studying the sky with both radio and optical telescopes, astronomers can gain much more complete understanding of the processes at work in the universe.
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As we were leaving the VLA Visitor Center, two Pronghorn Antelope strolled across the road directly in front of us. They barely leapt away when Jackson and Jeremiah tried to walk closer to them. It was quite a thrill to get so close to these wild and beautiful creatures.

Click pic for a larger view. Notice the radio telescope behind the sign to the right.