Breathtaking ALMA

Footage showing ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) on the literally and figuratively breathtaking Chajnantor Plateau, 5000m above sea level in the Chilean Andes. Chajnantor is an inhospitable place for humans due to its high altitude and extremely dry air, but those same traits make it the ideal location for this kind of observatory. ALMA is the highest (in terms of elevation) observatory on Earth, and the atmosphere above Chajnantor is the driest outside of Antartica. These traits combine to be particularly perfect for the wavelengths of light ALMA in particular observes, as they are scattered by water, including water vapour in Earth's atmosphere. This unique location allows ALMA to make groundbreaking observations of many objects, including distant galaxies, gas, and dust.