The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), one of the largest
ground-based astronomy projects of the next decade, is a major new
facility for world astronomy. ALMA will be comprised of a giant array
of 12-m submillimetre quality antennas, with baselines of several
kilometres. An additional, compact array of 7-m and 12-m antennas is
also foreseen. Construction of ALMA started in 2003 and will be
completed in 2012. The ALMA project is an international collaboration
between Europe, Japan and North America in cooperation with the
Republic of Chile.
News
Sep 23, 2009
For the first time, an ALMA antenna has been transported from the Operations Support Facility (located at an altitude of 2900 m) to the Array Operations Site (5000 m) where ALMA observations will ultimately take place.
May 04, 2009
The first astronomical fringes have been detected at the Operations Support Facility in Chile. Mars was observed at a frequency of 104.2 GHz (Band 3) using a Vertex and a Melco antenna on April 30. The image to the right shows the instrumental response as Mars moves across the sky. Click on the image for more information.
November 13, 2008
The ALMA observatory has a new website, with the following domain name www.almaobservatory.org. It is available in both English and Spanish.
October 2, 2008
The 15th edition of the European ALMA Newsletter is now available.
September 15, 2008
Dr. Wolfgang Wild has been appointed European ALMA Project Manager and Head of the ALMA Division at ESO. Dr. Wild is an expert in submillimetre technology and astronomy and has significant experience in the management of science and technology projects as well as the operation of sub-/millimetre telescopes.
September 15, 2008
Dr. Richard Kurz has been appointed Project Manager of ALMA. Dr. Kurz has extensive management experience in space and astronomical projects and from 1999 to 2004 was ALMA European Project Manager. He has been serving as Interim European Project Manager since February 2008.
September 15, 2008
Dr. Tetsuo Hasegawa has been appointed Deputy Project Manager of ALMA. Dr. Hasegawa has considerable experience in management of astronomical projects, as well as a distinguished academic career. He has been serving as ALMA Interim Project Manager since May 2008.
September 8, 2008
Dr. Thijs de Graauw has been appointed Director of ALMA. Dr. de Graauw is a world expert in infrared and sub-millimetre astronomy and has considerable experience in coordinating and leading large international scientific projects. He has been serving as Interim ALMA Director since April 1, 2008.Timeline
- mid 2006: European ARC activities begin
- late 2007: First antennas arrive in Chile
- mid 2008: Two antenna interferometry
- early 2009: Commissioning and science verification starts
- mid 2010: Early science
- late 2012: Full science operations starts
Quick Links
- Newsletter: Read the latest edition of the European ALMA Newsletter
- Jobs: Working for ALMA
- Basics: Learn about the ALMA basics
- Sensitivity calculator: Use this to plan your ALMA science project
- Brochure: This contains information about the ALMA project, its construction, the ALMA site, the technologies and the science objectives
- Contact information: Find telephone numbers and email addresses
ALMA
antennas
on site:
14
The ALMA OSF Web Cam is up and running. It allows you to watch the OSF construction activities and has been configured to show a picture every minute.