Final Antenna Delivered to ALMA: All 66 ALMA antennas now handed over to the observatory
Final Antenna Delivered to ALMA: All 66 ALMA antennas now handed over to the observatory
10 hours ago
(Phys.org) —The final antenna for the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) project has just been handed over to the ALMA Observatory. The 12-metre-diameter dish was manufactured by the European AEM Consortium and also marks the successful delivery of a total of 25 European antennas—the largest ESO contract so far.
The antenna is the 66th and final antenna to be delivered to the observatory. North America has provided 25 12-metre antennas, while East Asia has delivered 16 (four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre). By the end of 2013, all 66 ultra-precise millimetre/submillimetre-wave radio antennas are expected to be working together as one telescope, in an array that will stretch for up to 16 kilometres across the Chajnantor Plateau in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile.
The ALMA Observatory was inaugurated by the President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, in March 2013 (eso1312). That event marked the completion of all the major systems of the giant telescope and the formal transition from a construction project to a fully fledged observatory.
This delivery of the last antenna now completes the ALMA antenna construction phase and provides all 66 antennas for science use, marking the beginning of a new era of discoveries in astronomy. "This is an important milestone for the ALMA Observatory since it enables astronomers in Europe and elsewhere to use the complete ALMA telescope, with its full sensitivity and collecting area," says Wolfgang Wild, the European ALMA Project Manager.
More:
http://phys.org/news/2013-10-antenna-alma-antennas-observatory.html#jCp
