In the European telescope assembly area at the ALMA Operations Support Facility in northern Chile, a fully assembled 12-meter dish of a European ALMA telescope is rolled out of the temporary garage where its segments were glued together. A crane will then lift it and place it atop a base.
Carrying an ALMA antenna dish
A fully assembled 12-meter dish of a European ALMA telescope is lifted for placement atop a base in the European telescope assembly area at the ALMA Operations Support Facility in northern Chile. Each antenna weighs over 100 tons and, once completed, the antennas are transfered to ALMA’s high site on a transporter that weighs over 130 tons.
The testing area telescopes of ALMA’s OSF
Here are all three of the ALMA telescopes in the testing area of the ALMA Operations Support Facility in northern Chile. From left to right, they are the European, Japanese, and North American antennas. Since the array was completed in 2013, these three telescopes are now on display for visitors to ALMA’s museum and Operations Support Facility.
55 antennas on Chajnantor plains
ALMA with 55 antennas in March 2013. The Atacama Compact Array is clearly visible as the tightly-grouped set of smaller antennas. The Array Operations Site Technical Building shines in the back, with the final North American antenna behind it.
Supermoon 2011 Over ALMA
On March 19, 2011, the Moon was closer to us than it had been in 20 years. Here, in its waning gibbous phase after the full phase, it sits above the 16,500-foot elevation ALMA telescope site in northern Chile.
Another antenna added to ALMA’s high site
Another North American ALMA antenna rides into the 16,500-foot elevation high site in northern Chile on the back of the 130 ton transporter. This 12-meter antenna joins the growing array in this photo taken in 2011.