#plainsofsanagustin

[railwayhistorical]

Somewhere in the West

Continuing my month long series of posts with images made in New Mexico with the Great Divide as my focus or jumping off point: the Very Large Array, upon the Plains of San Agustin, seen from afar.

Driving west of Magdalena, I had the thought that I might find a hill to climb to get an overview of the Very Large Array (that I'd shot the previous night). Indeed, I found a hill to the east of the Array with an antenna perched at the peak. I parked my car and slogged half way up where I found this mini-peak, punctuated with a cairn of sorts.

The picture turned out to not be worth the effort to climb the hill: the Very Large Array was just too spread out to be "seen" from this spot. I'm posting the image here just to record the fact that I climbed that darn hill. Here's a second view with my rental car parked down below.

This image supplies one reason why I love being in the West: one can see twenty, thirty, forty miles or more, even without climbing a hill to do so. How far can one see in the east? Usually, where I live, two miles at best.

Two images by Richard Koenig; taken April 5th 2026.

[nonbinary-nature-lover-jeri]

Very Large Array - Two Artistic Impressions By Jeri Rae Impression 1: A Virtual Oil Painting of The VLA Impression 2: A VanGogh-esque artistic take on the VLA image The Very Large Array, Plains Of San Agustin, New Mexico “The Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) is a centimeter-wavelength radio astronomy observatory located in central New Mexico on the Plains of San Agustin, between the towns of Magdalena and Datil, ~50 miles (80 km) west of Socorro. The VLA comprises twenty-eight 25-meter radio telescopes (27 of which are operational while one is always rotating through maintenance) deployed in a Y-shaped array and all the equipment, instrumentation, and computing power to function as an interferometer. Each of the massive telescopes is mounted on double parallel railroad tracks, so the radius and density of the array can be transformed to adjust the balance between its angular resolution and its surface brightness sensitivity.[2] Astronomers using the VLA have made key observations of black holes and protoplanetary disks around young stars, discovered magnetic filaments and traced complex gas motions at the Milky Way's center, probed the Universe's cosmological parameters, and provided new knowledge about the physical mechanisms that produce radio emission. The VLA has appeared repeatedly in American popular culture since its construction. * The VLA is present in the 1984 movie 2010: The Year We Make Contact, as the location where Dr. Floyd and Dimitri Moiseyevich discuss the upcoming missions to Jupiter. * The VLA is present in the 1997 movie Contact, as the location where the alien signal is first detected. * British artist Keith Tyson created a 300 piece sculpture called Large Field Array (2006–2007) named after the VLA. * In the 2009 science-fiction film Terminator Salvation, the VLA is the location of a Skynet facility. At the beginning of the film the site is attacked by Resistance forces.” - Wikipedia #DesignedByJeriRae from a stock photo from Pixabay via Typorama. #VLA #VeryLargeArray #PlainsOfSanAgustin #NewMexico #RadioTelescope #Universe #MilkyWay #SimulatedPainting #LandOfEnchantment #VirtualOilPainting #DigitalArt #VanGoghInspired (at VLA Radio Telescope) https://www.instagram.com/p/CNmHiGtFbY1/?igshid=529oi4gg75i2

[nonbinary-nature-lover-jeri]

Land Of Enchantment - Very Large Array, Plains Of San Agustin, New Mexico “The Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) is a centimeter-wavelength radio astronomy observatory located in central New Mexico on the Plains of San Agustin, between the towns of Magdalena and Datil, ~50 miles (80 km) west of Socorro. The VLA comprises twenty-eight 25-meter radio telescopes (27 of which are operational while one is always rotating through maintenance) deployed in a Y-shaped array and all the equipment, instrumentation, and computing power to function as an interferometer. Each of the massive telescopes is mounted on double parallel railroad tracks, so the radius and density of the array can be transformed to adjust the balance between its angular resolution and its surface brightness sensitivity.[2] Astronomers using the VLA have made key observations of black holes and protoplanetary disks around young stars, discovered magnetic filaments and traced complex gas motions at the Milky Way's center, probed the Universe's cosmological parameters, and provided new knowledge about the physical mechanisms that produce radio emission. The VLA has appeared repeatedly in American popular culture since its construction. * The VLA is present in the 1984 movie 2010: The Year We Make Contact, as the location where Dr. Floyd and Dimitri Moiseyevich discuss the upcoming missions to Jupiter. * The VLA is present in the 1997 movie Contact, as the location where the alien signal is first detected. * British artist Keith Tyson created a 300 piece sculpture called Large Field Array (2006–2007) named after the VLA. * In the 2009 science-fiction film Terminator Salvation, the VLA is the location of a Skynet facility. At the beginning of the film the site is attacked by Resistance forces.” - Wikipedia #DesignedByJeriRae from a stock photo from Pixabay via Typorama. #VLA #VeryLargeArray #PlainsOfSanAgustin #NewMexico #RadioObservatory #RadioTelescope #Universe #MilkyWay #ListeningToTheUniverse #LandOfEnchantment https://www.instagram.com/p/CEYoijmlQYR/?igshid=1oxev0l9nfc9d

[nonbinary-nature-lover-jeri]

The Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) is a centimeter-wavelength radio astronomy observatory located in central New Mexico on the Plains of San Agustin, between the towns of Magdalena and Datil, ~50 miles (80 km) west of Socorro. The VLA comprises twenty-seven 25-meter radio telescopes deployed in a Y-shaped array and all the equipment, instrumentation, and computing power to function as an interferometer. Each of the massive telescopes is mounted on double parallel railroad tracks, so the radius and density of the array can be transformed to adjust the balance between its angular resolution and its surface brightness sensitivity. Astronomers using the VLA have made key observations of black holes and protoplanetary disks around young stars, discovered magnetic filaments and traced complex gas motions at the Milky Way's center, probed the Universe's cosmological parameters, and provided new knowledge about the physical mechanisms that produce radio emission. The VLA has appeared repeatedly in American popular culture since its construction. *The VLA was featured in Carl Sagan's 1980 documentary Cosmos: A Personal Voyage. * The VLA is present in the 1984 movie 2010: The Year We Make Contact, as the location where Dr. Floyd and Dimitri Moiseyevich discuss the upcoming missions to Jupiter. * The VLA is present in the 1997 movie Contact, as the location where the alien signal is first detected. * The VLA features in plans to save the world from satellites being pulled from orbit in the second volume of the comic book series G.I. Joe: America's Elite (2005-2008). * British artist Keith Tyson created a 300 piece sculpture called Large Field Array (2006-2007) named after the VLA. * In the 2009 science-fiction film Terminator Salvation, the VLA is the location of a Skynet facility. At the beginning of the film the site is attacked by Resistance forces. The video was tweeted by UNM to highlight their stop at the VLA while they were on a New Mexico road trip with the University’s President. . #VeryLargeArray #VLA #2010Film #ContactFilm #PlainsOfSanAgustin #RadioTelescope #NewMexicoTrue #NewMexicoTravel https://www.instagram.com/p/B1DQqFgAd45/?igshid=6862qs93yl0q

[nonbinary-nature-lover-jeri]

The #VeryLargeArray in Central New Mexico. I visited here a couple times. It was worth it for me and it’ll be worth your while, particularly if you’re a science geek. 🤓 This is a 3 part video. . “The Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) is a centimeter-wavelength radio astronomy observatory located in central New Mexico on the Plains of San Agustin, between the towns of Magdalena and Datil, ~50 miles (80 km) west of Socorro. The VLA comprises twenty-seven 25-meter radio telescopes deployed in a Y-shaped array and all the equipment, instrumentation, and computing power to function as an interferometer. Each of the massive telescopes is mounted on double parallel railroad tracks, so the radius and density of the array can be transformed to adjust the balance between its angular resolution and its surface brightness sensitivity. Astronomers using the VLA have made key observations of black holes and protoplanetary disks around young stars, discovered magnetic filaments and traced complex gas motions at the Milky Way's center, probed the Universe's cosmological parameters, and provided new knowledge about the physical mechanisms that produce radio emission...” In Popular Culture The VLA has appeared repeatedly in American popular culture since its construction. * The VLA was featured in Carl Sagan's 1980 documentary Cosmos: A Personal Voyage. * The VLA is present in the 1984 movie 2010: The Year We Make Contact, as the location where Dr. Floyd and Dimitri Moiseyevich discuss the upcoming missions to Jupiter. * The VLA is present in the 1997 movie Contact, as the location where the alien signal is first detected. * The VLA features in plans to save the world from satellites being pulled from orbit in the second volume of the comic book series G.I. Joe: America's Elite (2005-2008). * British artist Keith Tyson created a 300 piece sculpture called Large Field Array (2006-2007) named after the VLA. * In the 2009 science-fiction film Terminator Salvation, the VLA is the location of a Skynet facility. At the beginning of the film the site is attacked by Resistance forces.” - Wikipedia #VLA #RadioTelescope #PlainsOfSanAgustin #NewMexico #LandOfEnchantment https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo-9vGPB8og/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=efsfqv441403

[nonbinary-nature-lover-jeri]

The Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) is a centimeter-wavelength radio astronomy observatory located in central New Mexico on the Plains of San Agustin, between the towns of Magdalena and Datil, ~50 miles (80 km) west of Socorro. The VLA comprises twenty-seven 25-meter radio telescopes deployed in a Y-shaped array and all the equipment, instrumentation, and computing power to function as an interferometer. Each of the massive telescopes is mounted on double parallel railroad tracks, so the radius and density of the array can be transformed to adjust the balance between its angular resolution and its surface brightness sensitivity. Astronomers using the VLA have made key observations of black holes and protoplanetary disks around young stars, discovered magnetic filaments and traced complex gas motions at the Milky Way's center, probed the Universe's cosmological parameters, and provided new knowledge about the physical mechanisms that produce radio emission. The VLA has appeared repeatedly in American popular culture since its construction. *The VLA was featured in Carl Sagan's 1980 documentary Cosmos: A Personal Voyage. * The VLA is present in the 1984 movie 2010: The Year We Make Contact, as the location where Dr. Floyd and Dimitri Moiseyevich discuss the upcoming missions to Jupiter. * The VLA is present in the 1997 movie Contact, as the location where the alien signal is first detected. * The VLA features in plans to save the world from satellites being pulled from orbit in the second volume of the comic book series G.I. Joe: America's Elite (2005-2008). * British artist Keith Tyson created a 300 piece sculpture called Large Field Array (2006-2007) named after the VLA. * In the 2009 science-fiction film Terminator Salvation, the VLA is the location of a Skynet facility. At the beginning of the film the site is attacked by Resistance forces. The video was tweeted by UNM to highlight their stop at the VLA while they were on a New Mexico road trip with the University’s President. . #VeryLargeArray #VLA #2010Film #ContactFilm #PlainsOfSanAgustin #RadioTelescope #NewMexicoTrue #NewMexicoTravel

[davebeingdave]

When I drove into this storm, I could see the pavement ahead of me dissappear into whitewater as buckets fell from the sky and splashed off of the pavement. The road literally turned from black to white. Bands of droplets rippled above the surface like wind blowing through tall grass. 1/2 #summerstorm #monsoon #cloudporn #microburst #PlainsOfSanAgustin #newmexico

[kyledavidphotography]

The Very Large Array in New Mexico during Land Arts 2009. Awesome place. We were lucky, all the dishes were home not spread miles apart. #VLA #nm #plainsofsanagustin #verylargearray #jodiefoster #contact #landofenchantment #landartsoftheamericanwest #landarts