One of Many

This deceptive image captures a seemingly isolated antenna in a lonely desert. In reality, however, this is a European antenna which forms part of the largest millimetre/submillimetre array of antennas in the world. This antenna actually boasts 49 siblings, all hidden from view. These 50 12-metre antennas constitute the aptly-named Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, situated in Chile’s Atacama Desert at 5000 metres above sea level. Alongside these 50 antennas are yet more siblings — a compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas joins this main array, bringing ALMA’s total antenna count to 66.