The heart of ALMA

This apparently unremarkable image in fact reveals a remarkable place. ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, is situated on the 5000-metre-high Chajnantor plateau. Such a high altitude is necessary for ALMA’s array of antennae, but the lack of oxygen makes the site itself a very uncomfortable place for people to work. For this reason, as much of the scientific and technical work as possible takes place at the Operations Support Facility (OSF), pictured here, which is 2100 metres lower in altitude.