ALMA is taking shape at the AOS

Aerial view of the Chajnantor plateau, taken looking towards the southwest. Here, at 5000 metres altitude, the ALMA telescope is currently under construction at the Array Operations Site (AOS). A total of 199 concrete pads and a network of roads will allow the 66 antennas to be positioned across an area 16 km in diameter. In this picture, taken on 24 March 2011, eight antennas are already in place at the AOS.