by Angel Lopez-Sanchez (AAO/UMQ)

Beautiful photo of CSIRO’s Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) taken by Angel Lopez-Sanchez – @El_Lobo_Rayado . Five of the six 22-m dishes are seen in one of the most compact hybrid configurations, where two antennas are placed on the short northern spur while the others remain on the regular east-west track. Antennas 1-5 are moved to different positions along the track every few weeks; only antenna 6 (CA06) remains stationary. With the help of Earth rotation the six radio dishes of the ATCA form one very large synthesis telescope with a maximum diameter of 6 kilometers. The ATCA is located just outside the town of Narrabri in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. – The photo was taken at sunset in August 2007.