Do you know about the Very Large Array? Also known as the VLA, it’s a radio astronomy observatory located between the towns of Magdalena and Datil, about 50 miles west of Socorro on US Route 60. The VLA is composed of 27 independent antennas, each of which has a dish diameter of 25 meters (82 feet) and weighs 209 metric tons (ergo, the Very Large part of the name).
They’re quite the fascinating site, and they’re gearing up to begin their yearly series of guided tours. Starting Saturday, April 2, 2011, special guided tours will be offered beginning at 11AM. The late start is to accommodate visitors who also would like to visit the Trinity site. The drive from the Trinity Site to the VLA takes about 2 hours.
VLA tours will leave the visitor center every half hour, with the last tour beginning at 4:00 p.m. Each tour takes a bit more than one hour, they are free, and no reservations are required.
The visitor center is open every day from 8:30 a.m. to dusk for self-guided walking tours. More information can be found here.
The VLA hosts tours EVERY FIRST SATURDAY OF EACH MONTH from 11:00AM – 3:00 PM including hands-on, family friendly activites related to the monthly theme. The event culminates in an evening Guided Night Sky Star Gazing at the Etscorn Observatory on the Campus of NM Tech in Socorro. The night time event begins at dark and lasts two hours, weather permitting. Contact Judy Stanley (jstanley@nrao.edu) at 575-835-7243.
