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November 14, 2012

European ALMA Antenna

The first European antenna for the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) reaches new heights, having been transported to the observatory's array operations site (AOS). The 12-meter-diameter antenna arrived at Chajnantor Plateau, 5000 meters above sea level, where it joined antennas from the other international ALMA partners, bringing the total number at the AOS to 16. Although this sounds like just another number, 16 is the number of antennas specified for ALMA to begin its first science observations, and is therefore an important milestone for the project.

ALMA is an international astronomy facility that is a partnership of Europe, North America and East Asia in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. It is funded in part by the National Science Foundation. To learn more, visit the ALMA website. (Date of Image: unknown)

Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)

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