Space and Astronomy Atlas

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Observatories and Instruments

Atacama Large Millimeter Array

Also Known As ALMA

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An international astronomical interferometer of 66 radio telescopes on the high-altitude Chajnantor plateau in northern Chile, observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths to study star formation, planet formation and the early universe. It is jointly built and run by a global partnership of observatories and participated in the Event Horizon Telescope project that produced the first direct image of a black hole.

Facts
Observatory Type
Ground-based radio observatory (millimeter/submillimeter array) 1
Location
Chajnantor Plateau, Atacama Desert, Chile 1
Operational
from 2013 1
Measures
Measures radiation in the millimeter and submillimeter wavelength range, from 3.6 to 0.32 millimeters. 1
Operating Principle
Operates as an interferometric array of 66 high-precision antennas whose signals are combined to act as a single telescope with far higher resolution than any one antenna alone. 1
Cross-Tradition Connections

Associated With

Sources
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationAtacama Large Millimeter Array, lead paragraph section
Quote, Atacama Large Millimeter Array, lead paragraph section
Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA)
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationAtacama Large Millimeter Array, Overview section (wavelength)
Quote, Atacama Large Millimeter Array, Overview section (wavelength)
operates at wavelengths of 3.6 to 0.32 millimeters (31 to 1000 GHz).
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationAtacama Large Millimeter Array, Overview section (array)
Quote, Atacama Large Millimeter Array, Overview section (array)
The initial ALMA array is composed of 66 high-precision antennae
ESO - First Image of the Black Hole at the Heart of Our Galaxy (2022)
European Southern Observatory, European Southern ObservatoryAssociated With: Sagittarius A*, EHT array participant list
Quote, Associated With: Sagittarius A*, EHT array participant list
The EHT network included eight radio observatories: ALMA, APEX, the IRAM 30-meter Telescope, the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT), the Large Millimeter Telescope Alfonso Serrano (LMT), the Submillimeter Array (SMA), the UArizona Submillimeter Telescope (SMT), and the South Pole Telescope (SPT).
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