The newly offered possibility of proposing joint observations using both the VLT and ALMA has demonstrated the unique synergies made possible by closely coordinated observations by those two facilities. By obtaining multiple epochs of nearly-contemporary observations of a protoplanetary disk with the VLT instrument SPHERE and with ALMA, respectively tracing the surface and the midplane layers of the disk, an international team is aiming at understanding how fast the disk can cool under the shadows and derive the cooling timescale, a critical parameter of disk evolution models (prog ID 113.269Z, PI Benisty).
The Successful Completion of the First Joint VLT/ALMA Observing Proposal
Published: 12 Aug 2024
Such observations, combining data from two very different wavelength regimes, are a great example of how these two state-of-the-art facilities can yield complementary views of astrophysical objects.
Thanks to their support astronomers both in Garching and on-site, ESO and ALMA successfully implemented and executed the programme by ensuring a perfect coordination and the correct timing of the observations on the two facilities.