Magellanic Clouds arch over ALMA

Two of our nearest galactic neighbours, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, hang in the night-time sky above an ALMA antenna in this captivating image.

ALMA, the largest ground-based astronomical project in existence, comprises 66 such high-precision antennas set high in the Chilean Andes on the Chajnantor plateau. By observing millimetre and submillimetre radiation, ALMA opens a window into the enigmatic cold Universe.