The National Radio Astronomy Observatory has several locations, one of which is located in Socorro, about two hours outside of Albuquerque. About 50 miles west of here is where the Very Large Array is located, one of the world's premier astronomical radio observatories, which consists of 27 very large radio antennas in a Y shape.

The observatory contains information about what radio antennas do and why they are important in space exploration. There is a guided tour on the first Saturday of every month, but visitors are more than welcome to go on their own self-guided tour. There is an observation deck that overlooks all of the towers and, before leaving, patrons can go to the Antenna Assignment Building for the chance to see the technicians fixing one of the towers.

1003 Lopezville Rd, Socorro, NM 87801, Phone: 575-835-7000

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