telescope – Matt Tilghman Photography

Catching the Rays – Very Large Array

Matt Tilg — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 14:46:03 +0000

While I was soaking in the rays of sunset, the Very Large Array was catching radio-waves from cosmic phenomena millions of miles away.

This was my first time visiting the Very Large Array (VLA), located in Socorro New Mexico, at sunset. I really had no idea what to expect. I mostly thought that I would only get to play with how the sun inter-played with the huge satellite dishes. But, to my surprise (and delight) there were some nice mountains in the distance. The sky was also rather devoid of clouds, which was a bit disappointing… except for some clouds hovering around the mountains in the distance. You can get a better feel for how far away these features really were in this photograph: VLA at Sunset – Socorro, New Mexico. This is a good example of why it’s always important to bring long lenses. I was fairly certain the VLA would require the widest lens I have, but I wasn’t expecting all the intrigue to be so far away.

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VLA at Sunset – Socorro, New Mexico

Matt Tilg — Fri, 21 Jul 2017 15:07:03 +0000

The Very Large Array, or VLA, shown here at sunset, is a large radio-wave telescope outside of Socorro, New Mexico.

The Very Large Array (VLA) is located pretty much in the middle of nowhere. The nearest town is Socorro, New Mexico, but it is tiny, and fifty miles away. But the remote desert is the perfect place for radio telescopes such as this. The dry atmosphere leads to stronger extraterrestrial signals due reduced water vapor interference. It also makes the nights eerily lonely, a feeling only amplified by these giant instruments probing the depths of space. The VLA at sunset, and the surrounding landscape in general, comes to stunning life… but minutes from now a piercing darkness will take over, as if to encourage contemplation of the beyond.

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Very Lush Array – VLA in New Mexico

Matt Tilg — Wed, 14 Jun 2017 14:03:10 +0000

The Very Large Array, near Socorro New Mexico, is seen in rare lush form after a monsoon.

New Mexico is very a good place for a radio telescope like the Very Large Array. Because the atmosphere is so dry, it doesn’t interfere with the radio waves as much. This is why most large telescopes are in deserts or on tall mountains. But unlike some deserts, New Mexico’s Chihuahuan Desert does get its share of monsoons in summer. The scene pictured here was after a string of several such storms. I headed down to the VLA from Albuquerque hoping for some interesting skies, not at all knowing that I would catch a glimpse of the normally-barren landscape teeming with new, green life. The landscape was so lush that for a few minutes, I even forgot that I was there to shoot the VLA!

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