Our next stop was a visit to the Very Large Array (VLA), which only just reopened to the public! This telescope consists of 27 radio antennas peering deep into space from the middle of nowhere New Mexico. Each is 82 feet in diameter! They are arranged in a Y formation and sit on railroad tracks, allowing scientists to change their placement, and thus what they see, which they do every 3-4 months. Timed entry tickets can be purchased online for only $6, which gives access to an exhibit and short self-guided walking tour that gets you up close to one of the antennas. Electronic usage on site is very limited to prevent interference, though you may recognize the VLA from the movie Contact 👽 or from a Bon Jovi music video 🎸
