Arching over ALMA

The Milky Way displays its stunning shape and colours as it arches over the Chilean desert. It creates the perfect frame for the antennas of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). Two of the Milky Way’s satellite galaxies can also be seen, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds appearing in the crystal-clear sky as smudges beneath the arc of their larger neighbour. The artificial green glow which illuminates the ALMA antennas provides a striking contrast to nature’s stunning visual display above.

ALMA is situated more than 5000 metres above sea level in the Chilean Desert. Here the dry air and thin atmosphere allow a spectacular view into the Universe and make it the perfect place for a sensitive telescope like ALMA. Rather than being one single telescope, ALMA is composed of 66 separate, movable antennas spread over the Chajnantor plateau. By using different configurations of the antennae, the resolution with which ALMA observes celestial objects can be fine-tuned.