Very Large Array needs a new name

Picture one of the planet’s most powerful telescopes, scouring the cosmos for signs of distant galaxies and black holes, and the name Very Large Array doesn’t exactly get the blood racing. Well, over 30 years after the facility opened in New Mexico in the US, those in charge of it have decided on a name change – and the name could be something you come up with.

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) is running the competition and has invited the public to come up with a more imaginative name for this bank of 27 antennas.

Main image: NRAO/AUI

The Very Large Array comes to the end of a refurbishment programme that has seen most of its tired wires and outdated computer systems ripped out and replaced – an operation that has taken nearly a decade to complete. After the modernisation, the Observatory felt it was time for a name that reflects the super-charged performance. Click here to enter your suggestion by December 1 – but don’t forget to let us know your thoughts, we’d love to hear them.
 

Across the globe, there are plenty of other ‘scopes that could defiantly do with a little more flare when it comes to their name. Take for instance the Thirty Meter Telescope that’s planned for Hawaii, the Very Large Telescope in Chile and the Very Small Array in Pennsylvania in the US.

What would you rename the Very Large Array? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter

Front page image: NRAO/AUI and Photo: Matthew L. Abbondanzio