Very Long Baseline Array Dish
The Very Long Baseline Array Dish (right) present at Kitt Peak is part of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's greater VLBA interferometer. The array consists of 10 identical antennas, separated by distances from 200 kilometers to transcontinental 8600 kilometers (with the longest baseline between Maunakea, Hawai’i and St. Croix, Virgin Islands). The VLBA Dish is controlled remotely from the Science Operations Center in Socorro, New Mexico. Each VLBA station consists of a 25-meter antenna and an adjacent control building. During observing runs the received signals at each VLBA station are independently amplified, digitized, and recorded on fast, high capacity recorders, and then sent to the correlator in Socorro where they are (cross-)correlated.
For scientists: More details can be found on the science page.
Very Long Baseline Array Dish
Name(s) |
Very Long Baseline Array Dish |
Status |
Operational |
Broad Science Goals |
Precision astrometry is the VLBA science centerpiece, however broader science goals include the observation of jets in active galactic nuclei, position measurements of gamma-ray bursts, and movies of supernovae and extended stellar atmospheres. These activities are possible with this integrated telescope, which provides images and astrometry on milliarcsecond scales. The VLBA is also valuable in the age of multi-messenger astronomy. |
Site |
Kitt Peak National Observatory, Arizona, USA |
Location Coordinates |
31° 57′ 22.51″ N 111° 36′ 44.5″ W |
Altitude |
1902 meters (6240 feet) |
Enclosure |
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Type |
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Optical Design |
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Field of View |
N/A |
Diameter: Primary M1 |
25 meters |
Material: Primary M1 |
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Diameter: Secondary M2 |
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Material: Secondary M2 |
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Mount |
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First Light Date |
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Adaptive Optics |
N/A |
Images taken with the Very Long Baseline Array Dish |
Link |
Images of the Very Long Baseline Array Dish |
Link |
Videos of the Very Long Baseline Array Dish |
Link |
Press Releases with the Very Long Baseline Array Dish |
Link |
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Please help us to complete this page by emailing information and corrections to info@noirlab.edu.