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Telescopes from the Ground Up
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Using many light-collectors at once: Radio dish arrays
Diagram demonstrating how using multiple radio telescopes increases image resolution.

Using an array
increases resolution

The Very Large Array (VLA) has 27 individual radio dishes laid out in a Y shape. The dishes can be moved closer together or farther apart to achieve different resolutions. When they are at their farthest apart, the array has a resolution equal to a single dish that is 22 miles (36 km) in diameter.

Image of the Very Large Array in one of its many configurations.
Courtesy VLA
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