Another World
On occasion, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) at the Chajnantor plateau in northern Chile experiences something you might not associate with an astronomical observatory — snow!
When snow falls and coats the landscape with a frosty glaze of cool white, the entire site is transformed. It becomes something almost subterranean or extra-terrestrial, reminiscent of a rebel base from Star Wars or a dystopian scene from Blade Runner.
A number of ALMA’s 66 high-precision radio antennas can be seen in this image, connected by cleared pathways. The array spends its time observing the cool Universe and its phenomena — star formation, molecular clouds, and the early Universe.
Credit:ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)
About the Image
Id: | potw2109a |
Type: | Photographic |
Release date: | 1 March 2021, 06:00 |
Size: | 4096 x 2160 px |
About the Object
Name: | ALMA AOS, Chajnantor |
Type: | Unspecified : Technology : Observatory |
Category: | ALMA |