Flora at the ALMA site

This arid area on the slope of the Andes range of the II Region of Chile surprisingly shows a considerable richness in terms of flora and fauna. In the picture, an herbaceous species known as “Coirón” and other vegetation typical of the desert scrub, that stretches up to 4000 m altitude. The Coirón survives to higher altitudes, reaching 4800 m. Above this elevation is the high altitude desert, where only a few tiny plants adapted to those extreme conditions can survive. ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, is the largest astronomical project in existence. The ALMA Project is strongly committed to the protection of the historical and environmental heritage of this unique region.

Credit:

ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)

About the Image

Id:alma-hh-14
Type:Photographic
Release date:14 June 2010, 17:55
Size:4368 x 2912 px

About the Object

Name:Atacama Desert, Chajnantor
Type:Solar System : Planet : Feature : Surface
Unspecified : Technology : Observatory
Category:ALMA

Image Formats

Large JPEG
4.5 MB
Screensize JPEG
437.6 KB

Zoomable


Wallpapers

1024x768
458.9 KB
1280x1024
727.0 KB
1600x1200
1021.9 KB
1920x1200
1.2 MB
2048x1536
1.5 MB