MAGDALENA, N.M., Oct. 18 (UPI) -- The Very Large Array radio telescope in New Mexico, with its multiple dishes familiar to audiences of movies like "Contact," needs a new name, officials said.
The public is being asked to submit suggestions for a new name for the facility to mark the end of a decade's worth of upgrades that have increased VLA's technical capabilities by a factor of as much as 8,000, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported.
Officials at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory said the facility's original 1970s electronics have all been replaced with state-of-the-art equipment and a new name should reflect its new capabilities.
The observatory said it is soliciting ideas for a new name from the public and scientists.
In addition to "Contact," the iconic spread of radio dishes near Magdalena, N.M., have had cameo appearances in "Armageddon" and "Tranformers: Dark of the Moon."
