These particles, neutrinos , are extremely abundant in the universe but usually go right through just about everything. By stocking this 12-meter sphere with an unusual type of heavy water and surrounding it with light detectors, astrophysicists hope to catch the occasional collision. The VLA is continually making new discoveries, including determining the composition of galaxies , passing comets , quasars , HII regions , and clusters of galaxies . The VLA is also used to receive the weak radio signals broadcast from interplanetary spacecraft . A significant upgrade of VLA's capabilities is planned.
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