ALMA Early Science observations, Cycle 1 and Cycle 2, will be interrupted, as foreseen, from the beginning of September until end of November. Several antennas will be moved to more distant stations to enable tests on baselines of 10km. Cycle 1 and 2 observing will resume in December.
Status of ALMA Early Science
Published: 28 Aug 2014
Increased Capabilities
The ALMA high-frequency campaign has been successfully completed due to the excellent weather conditions. Multiple objectives were met, including the imaging of Uranus with 29 array elements at ALMA Band 10 (350 μm, 810 GHz) by the Joint ALMA Observatory (JAO) Extension and Optimization of Capabilities (EOC) team.
Data Delivery
The European ARC network keeps checking the data quality before delivery; as of 1 August 2014, 115 datasets have been successfully dispatched.
Science Verification Datasets
A new release of Science Verification data is planned for 5 September 2014, consisting of the following targets:
- VY CMa: water masers at Bands 7 and 9, demonstrating the 1-3km baseline capability;
- Comet Lemmon: the HCN line in Band 6, demonstrating the Doppler tracking of ephemeris targets.