ALMA's cool Universe

This image shows three antennas, part of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). ALMA will be composed initially of 66 high precision antennas located on the Chajnantor plateau, 5000 metres altitude in northern Chile.

ALMA observes light emitted by cool-temperature objects in space, which permits us to unravel profound mysteries about the formation of planets and the appearance of complex molecules, including organic molecules. It has allowed us to see through dark regions of the Universe made of gas and dust such as those seen in this image.