Huge Observatory in Andes Takes Shape

[Judi Lynn]

Huge Observatory in Andes Takes Shape
By SPACE.com Staff

posted: 07 February 2009
11:30 am ET

Astronomers celebrated on Friday the formal acceptance of the first North American antenna by the Joint ALMA Observatory in Chile.

The new observation tool will consist of an array of 40-foot (12-meter) radio telescopes, 64 in all, each linked together to make up the world's largest radio telescope to observe at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths. Emissions at these levels have wavelengths longer than infrared, but shorter than radio waves and aren't visible by the naked eye.

ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array is being assembled high in the Chilean Andes by a global partnership.

With ALMA, astronomers will study the universe, the molecular gas and tiny dust grains from which stars, planetary systems, galaxies and even life are formed. ALMA will provide new insights into the formation of stars and planets and will reveal distant galaxies in the early universe, which we will see as they were over 10 billion years ago.

More:
http://www.space.com/news/090207-alma-telescope.html

Images Alma Observatory:
http://images.google.com/images?q=ALMA%20Observatory&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi

[Peace Patriot]

1. Glad to see positive projects going forward, in these difficult times.

So much trouble on our tiny little anthill. So much going on out there in the Great Universe. We need to work on keeping our perspective.

[navarth]

2. agreed! k&r