ALMA observatory has its sights set on the universe

At present, around a third of ALMA’s eventual 66 radio antennas, with separations up to only 125m rather than the maximum 16km, make up the growing array on the Chajnantor plateau in northern Chile, at an elevation of 5,000m.

When it is completed in 2013, scientists will have an 11-mile-wide array of ultra-precision millimetre/submillimetre wave radio telescopes working together as one.

Scientists will use the observatory to study portions of the universe at a level of detail that is beyond what current astronomical technologies provide, studying the origins of galaxies, stars, and planets.

‘The “M” in ALMA stands for “millimetre/submillimetre” waves, because ALMA views the universe in these long wavelengths of light, much longer than the optical light we see with our eyes,’ said Dr Alison Peck, an NRAO astronomer serving as ALMA deputy project scientist during construction.

‘With millimetre and submillimetre waves, we can watch planet formation, investigate astrochemistry, and detect the light that is finally reaching us from the universe’s earliest galaxies. ALMA’s first projects will flex the telescope’s capabilities in all of these fields and many… more.’