Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array

The Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array is a radio astronomy facility in Socorro, New Mexico, whose scale and research opportunities drew Augustine Lofthouse away from his work in optical astronomy. His nearly four years there made it one of his longest stays since college and brought him into contact with Jean Sullivan.

Setting and Research

Located in Socorro, the array offered access to some of the world’s best opportunities in radio astronomy. For Augustine, whose research had been optical, the position represented a rare change of field. Funding for the move came with little friction: it practically landed in his lap, without the paperwork and bureaucratic maneuvering he disliked. He accepted the opportunity in the hope that several years of radio astronomy might advance his research to a new level.

Augustine’s Years at the Array

Augustine arrived with a single, enormous piece of distressed leather luggage that he had carried across oceans and continents since his undergraduate days. The welcome in Socorro was warm; he settled in quickly and was impressed by the array’s scope. He remained for almost four years—longer than he had anticipated and longer than he had stayed anywhere since college.

People and Significance

Augustine met Jean Sullivan while working at the array. His stay thus marked both a professional departure into radio astronomy and a personal turning point in the sequence of places where he lived and worked. The facility’s significance in his story lies in that conjunction: it offered a promising research opportunity and became the setting for an important new acquaintance.