Looking for the origins of the universe in one of Earth's least habitable places (photos)

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  • This panoramic view of the Chajnantor plateau, spanning about 180 degrees from north (on the left) to south (on the right) shows the antennas of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), described in this article , in northern Chile. In the foreground, are the 12-metre diameter ALMA antennas, working as one giant telescope, and on the far left are a cluster of smaller 7-metre antennas for ALMA’s compact array. (European Southern Observatory (ESO)/B. Tafreshi) 

    This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com

    Caption by: Laura Shin

  • Some of the ALMA antennas at the Operations Support Facility (OSF), the outpost built for the scientists working at ALMA. More on ALMA here . (H. Sommer/ALMA, ESO/National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) /National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO))

    This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com

    Caption by: Laura Shin

  • A view from inside the OSF building. To the left, the two American ALMA antennas; through the right window, the Japanese antenna. Read about ALMA here . (ALMA, ESO/NAOJ/NRAO) 

    This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com

    Caption by: Laura Shin

  • The Milky Way stretches out over four antennas of ALMA, described in this article . (ESO Photo Ambassador José Francisco Salgado/ESO)

    This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com

    Caption by: Laura Shin

  • ALMA 12-meter antennas at 16,500 ft. altitude. Read more about the project here . (Image courtesy of NARO/Associated Universities, Inc. and NRAO/AUI/National Science Foundation, Carlos Padilla acknowledgement/General Dynamics C4 Systems)

    This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com

    Caption by: Laura Shin

  • The OSF, where ALMA personnel live; elevation, 9,000 feet. More about ALMA here . (Image courtesy of NARO/AUI)

    This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com

    Caption by: Laura Shin

  • One of the ALMA antennas, with two more in the background, on the Chajnantor plain of the Chilean Andes. Read about ALMA in this story . (Iztok Bončina/ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO))

    This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com

    Caption by: Laura Shin

  • Artist's conception of the ALMA antennas in a compact array. This story has more information on ALMA. (Image courtesy of NRAO/AUI and ESO)

    This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com

    Caption by: Laura Shin

  • Aerial view of ALMA's OSF, located at 2900 metres altitude, on the road to Chajnantor — partially visible near the top-right edge of the picture. On the right, the partners’ antenna integration sites are seen — from the bottom to the top are the North American, the Japanese and the European sites. At the centre of the picture is the main OSF building, while on the left the workers’ camps are visible. (See story.)
    ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), W. Garnier (ALMA). Acknowledgment: General Dynamics C4 Systems

    This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com

    Caption by: Laura Shin

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Photos of ALMA, one of the world's largest ground-based astronomical projects set in one of the least hospitable places on Earth, the Atacama Plateau in northern Chile.

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This panoramic view of the Chajnantor plateau, spanning about 180 degrees from north (on the left) to south (on the right) shows the antennas of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), described in this article , in northern Chile. In the foreground, are the 12-metre diameter ALMA antennas, working as one giant telescope, and on the far left are a cluster of smaller 7-metre antennas for ALMA’s compact array. (European Southern Observatory (ESO)/B. Tafreshi) 

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com

Caption by: Laura Shin

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