Very Large Array

The Very Large Array consists of 27 giant antennas with 25 meter (82 ft) diameter

dishes. The total weight of each antenna is 235 tons, 100 tons of this is the movable

reflector. The receivers are cooled to -427 degrees F (18 degrees Kelvin) to reduce

internally generated noise. It typically takes two hours to move an antenna from one

station to another. About a week is allowed to reconfigure the whole array.

The design for the VLA began in the early 1960's. By 1967 the design had

progressed enough that a proposal to build the VLA was submitted to the National

Science Foundation. The design continued to be improved as this proposal worked

its way through various review committees.

In 1971 the proposal was submitted to Congress which authorized the project

in 1972. Work started in 1974. The first antenna was assembled at the VLA site

in 1975. The VLA was completed in January 1982.

Resolution: 2240x1680 JPG 2.7

ISO - 80

Exposure: 1/500 f 5.6

Lens - 100mm