Tuning into the Universe: The Science of the Very Large Array
WAS Welcomes Montana Williams, a 5th-year Ph.D. student at New Mexico Tech in Socorro, NM, the same town home to the array operations center for the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s (NRAO) Very Large Array. Most of her time is dedicated to imaging non-thermal emission from classical novae using NRAO’s Very Long Baseline Array, or, as she likes to say, “looking at cute star explosions.” She is also a tour guide at the VLA, where she facilitates public tours so everyone can enjoy radio astronomy and the “cute antennas.”
For over four decades the Very Large Array (VLA) has been observing the universe at radio wavelengths. This talk will explore the VLA’s history, past discoveries, and current research. We’ll discuss the VLA’s contributions to current theories, such as the discovery of the first planet outside our solar system, to mapping the structure of nearby galaxies. Additionally, we’ll discuss how astronomers are using the VLA today to study exoplanets, star formation, and much more. …...more
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