Atacama Large Millimeter Array

The Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA) is an array of radio telescopes in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. A high and dry site is very important for millimeter wavelength work. ALMA is being built on the Chajnantor plateau at 5000 metres altitude. It has 66 12-meter and 7-meter diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and sub-millimeter wavelengths. ALMA is expected to help scientists understand how stars were created during the early universe. It will also provide detailed imaging of local star and planet formation.

Atacama Large Millimeter Array

Coordinates
Altitude	P2044
Wavelength	P3738-P3737
Diameter	P2386
Secondary diameter	P2386
Tertiary diameter	P2386
Illuminated diameter	P2386
Length	P2043
Width	P2049
Mass	P2067
Collecting area	P2046
Illuminated area	P2046
Focal length	P2151
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This model of the ALMA array on the Chajnantor plateau shows how ALMA acts like a single telescope with a diameter as large as the distance between its individual antennas (represented by the blue circle).

ALMA is being built by Europe, the United States, Canada, East Asia and the Republic of Chile. Costing more than a billion US dollars, it is the worlds's most expensive ground-based telescope. ALMA began scientific observations in the second half of 2011 and the first images were released to the press on 3 October 2011. The project has been fully operational since March 2013.

Atacama Large Millimeter Array Media

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  An artist's impression of ALMA

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  OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

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  Alma antenna in transit on board of the transporter

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  ALMA transporter known as Otto

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  Antennae Galaxies composite of ALMA and Hubble observations

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  HL Tauri protoplanetary disk

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  Cropped from original. This photograph was taken by ESO Photo Ambassador José Francisco Salgado.

• ESOcast 51: Video report about the ALMA correlator.

• This 16-minute video presents the history of ALMA from the origins of the project several decades ago to the recent first science results.