Photo – Page 45 – National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Face of a 7-meter ALMA Antenna

Here is a close-up of one the dishes of a 7-meter ALMA telescope. This particular is from Japan due to the four wires inside the dish being straight with no pattern unlike the others.

Two North American Antennas at ALMA

These two North American 12-meter ALMA antennas were undergoing a test: observing the same object for the first time as a pair. The combined radio waves they created, called “first fringes,” showed ALMA astronomers that these two were ready for adoption into the array.

A Quartet of 7-meter Antennas

Four 7-meter Japanese ALMA telescopes are being readied for final testing and acceptance by ALMA at the Operations Support Facility in northern Chile in March 2011.

Ghostly Glow of ALMA at Night

The green safety lights on the ALMA antennas provide the only light for this long-exposure photograph at the 16,500-foot elevation high site in northern Chile.

ALMA Nutator

The nutating subreflector for an ALMA antenna. This wobbling reflector can be used to quickly offset the focus of an ALMA observation to aim to the sky for a check of the air quality. They were built in Green Bank, West Virginia.

ALMA Control Room

ALMA astronomers and telescope operators occupy this control room 24-hours a day, seven days a week. When this photo was taken, ALMA was not yet complete, but the array was active and doing science. The control room was divided into new antenna testing (right) and array science stations (left). All telescopes, whether they are actively observing in the array or are being put through their paces in the testing area, are controlled from this room. Data collected by the telescopes and their supercomputer are also received and processed here.

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the U.S. National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.
	Founded in 1956, the NRAO provides state-of-the-art radio telescope facilities for use by the international scientific community. NRAO telescopes are open to all astronomers regardless of institutional or national affiliation. Observing time on NRAO telescopes is available on a competitive basis to qualified scientists after evaluation of research proposals on the basis of scientific merit, the capability of the instruments to do the work, and the availability of the telescope during the requested time. NRAO also provides both formal and informal programs in education and public outreach for teachers, students, the general public, and the media.
	The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense..."
	AUI collaborates with the scientific community and research sponsors to plan, build, and operate cutting-edge facilities. We cultivate excellence, deliver value, enhance education, and engage the public.