In October we drove from Maine to Arizona. I always like taking different routes so instead of following I-40 into Arizona from New Mexico as we usually do, we took a left at Albuquerque and headed south on I-25. Exiting at Socorro our plan we to take US 60 into Arizona and stay in Show Low that evening.
US 60 in New Mexico takes you through very sparsely inhabited areas, a mixture of plains with expansive views and mountains. About 40 miles west of Socorro we came over a pass and beginning our descend to a large flat plain noticed some very odd-looking structures scattered in the distance across the landscape. Coming closer we realized they were radiotelescopes and the highway went right through the center of them. We stopped and took the photos you see here.
A quick check told us we were in the midst of the Very Large Array (VLA) of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. As we drove from Socorro I'd noticed occasional small roadside signs announcing "VLA 30 Miles", "VLA 20 Miles," but had no idea what they meant. Now I did.
At an altitude of 6,790 feet, the precise name of the facility is the Karl G Jansky Very Large Array, which is part of the NRAO (itself headquartered in Virginia). Built in the 1970s, though modified extensively since, the VLA consists of 27 radio telescopes in a Y array over a large area. Designed to detect radio emissions from quasars, pulsars, supernova remnants and black holes as well as search for powerful signals from any advanced civilizations, the VLA evokes its own aura of mystery standing in its remote location.
It was also used as one of the settings for the 1997 film Contact, starring Jodie Foster, about our first encounter with an advanced civilization. According to Wikipedia:
"Shooting at the VLA was, of course, spectacular but also one of the most difficult aspects of our filming", producer Steve Starkey said. "It is a working facility, so in order for us to accomplish shots for the movie, we had to negotiate with the National Science Foundation for 'dish control' in order to move the dishes in the direction we needed to effect the most dramatic shot for the story."
The VLA also appeared in Terminator Salvation (2009) as an evil Skynet facility.
The facility is usually open for tourists and has regularly scheduled guided tours but is closed now due to covid. We plan on returning when it reopens.
Toured the VLA in 1998 with the family. My now deceased father-in-law had lived in/toured the Southwest US since the 1930s, He brought us to the VLA and numerous other national treasures. We miss him.
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