The Very Large Array Turns Twenty
			
		
		
		
			The most photogenic array of 
radio telescopes in the world has also 
been one of the most productive.  
Each of the 27 
radio telescopes in the 
Very Large Array (VLA) is the size of a 
house and can be moved on train tracks.  
The VLA, celebrating its 
twentieth year of operation, is 
pictured above in a compact formation in front of 
Tres Montosas, 
New Mexico, 
USA.  
The VLA has been used to discover 
water on planet Mercury, 
radio-bright coronae around ordinary stars, 
micro-quasars in our Galaxy, 
gravitationally-induced Einstein rings around distant galaxies, 
and 
radio counterparts to cosmologically distant gamma-ray bursts.  
The vast size of the 
VLA has allowed astronomers to study the 
details of super-fast cosmic jets, and even 
map the center of our Galaxy. 
An upgrade of the VLA is being planned.