Looking Deep Into our Milky Way Galaxy from Ojos Del Salar – All Sky and VR 360º Scene
An all sky view and 360º Virtual Reality scene, features the path of Milky Way with its core shining high in the sky of Atacama Desert. This full dome mosaic comprises 27 still images photographed from Ojos Del Salar, two small lagoons standing close each other forming like a pair of eyes point high up. Located in the middle of nowhere, in Atacama Desert, they can be found almost 30km from San Pedro de Atacama, in the northern part of Chile. The rocky desert of Atacama, sometimes reminds me of the reddish martian soil. On July, in the Southern Hemisphere the core of Milky Way galaxy stands very high in the sky, touching the Zenith this time of the year. The center of the image features the dusty core of the galaxy, with a special guest visible, planet Jupiter is also there, shinning very close to Rho Ophiuchi colorful cloud complex. In the opposite direction, the faint band from Zodiacal light in crossing the entire half of the scene. In this full dome view, the small lagoon is visible in the right side of the celestial sphere, full of reflected stars, stands up in the scene like the shape of a crescent Moon. After the iconic unusual portrait showing what could be a big “Martian Eye” looking deep to our Milky Way Galaxy, published as APOD on April 2020, I decided to create a Virtual Reality 360º image of this same scene, which you can experience in full resolution using your desktop, or smartphone with gyroscope. A great “in loco” experience can be achieved if you wear a VR glasses.
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Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
A Lonely Tree and the Mesmerizing Presence of Milky Way as Seen from Atacama Desert
Even in a remote desert we can find beautiful lonely trees like this one, which stands close to the outstanding presence of Milky Way as seen from San Pedro de Atacama, in Chile. This vertical panorama of single 15 sec exposures, shows that in the darkest places on Earth, free from light pollution, the pristine presence of Milky Way can reach a level of brightness enough to project the smooth shadow of the tree on the ground, really impressive to notice! The background horizon where the Milky Way rises behind the lowest tree branch, left edge, is visible the silhouette from one the highest stratovolcanos in the world, Licancabur, located near the border with Bolivia, has 5916 meters.
PT: Mesmo num deserto remoto podemos encontrar belas árvores solitárias como esta, que se destaca diante da presença marcante da Via Láctea vista a partir de San Pedro de Atacama, no Chile. Este panorama vertical de disparos únicos de 15 segundos de exposição, mostra que nos lugares mais escuros da Terra, livres de poluição luminosa, a presença pristina da Via Láctea pode atingir um nível de brilho suficiente para projetar a sombra suave de uma árvore no solo! No horizonte de fundo onde a Via Láctea surge atrás do galho mais baixo da árvore, no limite esquerdo, é visível a silhueta de um dos estratovulcões mais altos do mundo, Licancabur, localizado próximo à fronteira com a Bolívia, tem 5916 metros.
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Buy a Fine Art Print or Wall Decor of this Image – Make your order Now!
You can choose the best style of print do you preffer to decorate in a fashion way your walls. Metal Prints with durable and vivid colors, Acrylic, Canvas or the highest quality Gallery Print – a 6 colour UV direct printing on acrylic glass (2mm) including light colours and reinforced by an aluminium dibond plate (3mm). Those type of Prints can highlight the final work in an artistic way, showing the photograph as a piece of art. I work with two high quality specialized Labs in US and in Europe, using Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic papers and Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Professional. You can select the image above or freely navigate to more than 800 photographs available in my gallery – each one with their own story and magic – and choose the photograph you would love to have in your home or office.
How to Order – Simple and easy, just “copy and paste” the link of this page or the image you choosed and fill it in the form below, with the size you want and any detail you wish to include on the message, like your country, name and postal address. Free Shipping included to all prints (except frames). For US and Europe the delivery is 4-8 working days, while to Portugal and Spain is normally 2-6 working days. After submitting the order through the form, I will contact you for the payment method (Paypal available or bank transfer) and with other questions related to your print(s) or requests. Once payment is confirmed, your order is shipped within 24h. In case you wish, I can send you separtely with no additional cost, a postcard autographed and numbered of the same image you have just bought, as a seal and proof of art work authenticity from the author. Let me know what is your wish.
The Divine Creation of Milky Way Direclty Released by God´s Hand
La Mano Del Desierto is a beautiful piece of art made by Chilean sculptor Mario Irarrázabal, of an 11 meters hand that stands above the desert and where the fingers seems to touch the stars. On this particular panorama rotated 90º degrees clockwise, this Milky Way is featured like the most recent divine´s creation, directly released by God´s hand. Small Magellanic cloud is shinning between the fingers in the top left corner. Located at about 70 km south of Antofagasta, the sculpture made of iron and concrete stands alone in the desert at an altitude of 1100 meters above the sea level.
PT: La Mano Del Desierto é uma bela obra de arte feita pelo escultor chileno Mario Irarrázabal, de uma Mão de 11 metros que se destaca acima do deserto e onde os dedos parecem tocar as estrelas. Neste panorama em particular, girado 90º no sentido horário, a Via Láctea é apresentada como a mais recente criação divina, lançada directamente pela mão de Deus. A Pequena Núvem de Magalhães brilha entre os dedos, no canto superior esquerdo da imagem. Localizada a cerca de 70 km a sul de Antofagasta, a escultura feita de ferro e concreto, destaca-se como uma imponente presença solitária no meio do deserto, a uma altitude de 1100 metros acima do nível do mar.
Panoramic Scene of Large and Small Magellanic Clouds Involved in Reddish Airglow above Atacama Mountains
Two single shots comprises this epic panoramic scene captured 75km south of Antofagasta, Chile, showing the magnificent Small and Large Magellanic Clouds (SMC and LMC) involved in a strong presence of reddish ariglow. While both satellite galaxies are setting behind the mountains of Atacama Desert and featured in the same field, very close to the horizon, some interesting details and objects are popping along with it. At left edge, NGC 104 also known as 47 Tucanae, is the second brightest and largest globular cluster shinning in the night sky, after Omega Centauri. Three degrees apart and close to SMC, NGC 362 is another but smaller globular cluster well visible. The Small Magellanic Cloud is a nearby galaxy appearing in the constellation Tucana, and forming a pair with the Large Magellanic Cloud, which is located 20 degrees to the east (right side). Being both members of the Local Group, and among the most distant objects that can be seen with the naked eye, the LMC – seen at the right edge – is the most massive satellite galaxy of our own Milky Way. It was named Magellanic, regarding the 16th century Portuguese navigator Fernão de Magalhães. Tarantula Nebula (NGC 2070), a large H II region in the Large Magellanic Cloud, is also featured on this photo, lying at the eastern end of the LMC’s stellar bar, was shinning in a smooth purple/violet hue.
PT: Duas fotos individuais compõem esta épica cena panorâmica captada 75 km a sul de Antofagasta, no Chile, mostrando a magnífica Pequena e Grande Núvem de Magalhães (SMC e LMC – sigla em Inglês) envolvidas em uma forte presença de airglow vermelho, também conhecido como luminescência fotoquímica da atmosfera. Enquanto as duas galáxias satélites visíveis no mesmo campo de visão se deitam por detrás das montanhas no deserto de Atacama, já próximo do horizonte, alguns detalhes e objetos interessantes se revelam junto com elas. No extremo superior esquerdo, NGC 104, também conhecido como 47 Tucanae, é o segundo aglomerado globular maior e mais brilhante que é possível observar no céu noturno depois de Omega Centauri. A três graus de distância e próximo à SMC, NGC 362, é outro enxame globular menor, mas ainda bem visível. A Pequena Núvem de Magalhães, é uma galáxia próxima localizada na constelação de Tucana e forma um par com a Grande Núvem de Magalhães, localizada a cerca de 20 graus para Este (lado direito). Sendo ambos membros do Grupo Local e entre os objetos mais distantes que podem ser vistos a olho nu. A LMC – lado direito da imagem – é a galáxia satélite mais massiva da nossa Via Láctea. Foi batizada de Magalhães, em referência ao navegador português do século XVI, Fernão de Magalhães. Por fim, o destaque vai para a Nebulosa da Tarântula (NGC 2070), uma grande região H II na Grande Núvem de Magalhães, situada no extremo Este da barra estelar da LMC, brilhando numa tonalidade suave entre o roxo e violeta.
Technical details | Detalhes Técnicos
Two single shots tracked with a Vixen portable mount captured with a Nikon D850 | Sigma Art 105mm at f/1,6 | ISO1600 | Exp. 36 secs.
A Galactic Profile Scene of Our Own Milky Way Galaxy as Seen from the Darkest Skies of Atacama and Alqueva
A wide panoramic view comprising single exposures between 15 and 25 seconds, captured from the southern hemisphere dark skies of Atacama Desert, in Chile, and northern hemisphere dark skies of Alqueva, in Portugal, reveals a galactic profile scene of our own Milky Way galaxy. At a distance of 26,000 light-years from the dusty core, this panorama is covering approximately 239º from edge to edge. With a visible diameter of about 100,000 light-years and 2,000 light-years thick, is the second-largest galaxy in the Local Group. ESA’s Gaia mission, a dedicated project to accurately map the Milky Way in three dimensions, it is giving us new data and the most detailed map of our galactic home ever made from space, and has been refining our knowledge about this incredible spiral cosmic spaceship. On this large view captured from our planet Earth, we can see above the center bulge obscured by interstellar dust, the bright light of planet Jupiter. Beyond that, glowing nebulae, dark dust clouds and crowded starfields are all spread along the fertile galactic plane. While the lower left view of this panorama shows our neighbour spiral galaxy of Andromeda, located at approximately 2.5 million light-years from us – knowing that one day they will probably collide or mixing together – on the upper right side of the Milky Way arm, another apparently bright light belongs not to a star, but to Omega Centauri, the largest globular cluster in the Milky Way, with a diameter of roughly 150 light-years. On the left side of the image, the well know summer triangle is very well visible, being formed by Vega (in Lyra) – the brightest star above the left galaxy arm – and Deneb (in Cygnus), visible close to the eye-catching red emission North America Nebula, while Altair star (from Aquila) is visible below the arm and “towards” the galaxy core.
PT: Uma ampla vista panorâmica com exposições únicas entre 15 e 25 segundos, captadas a partir dos céus escuros do hemisfério sul no deserto de Atacama, no Chile, e a partir dos céus escuros de Alqueva no hemisfério norte, em Portugal, revela um cenário do perfil galáctico da nossa própria galáxia, a Via Láctea. A uma distância de 26.000 anos-luz do núcleo empoeirado, este panorama cobre aproximadamente 239º de ponta a ponta. Com um diâmetro visível de cerca de 100.000 anos-luz e 2.000 anos-luz de espessura, é a segunda maior galáxia do Grupo Local. A missão Gaia da ESA, um projeto dedicado a mapear com precisão a Via Láctea em três dimensões, fornece novos dados e o mapa mais detalhado do nosso lar galáctico já alguma vez feito a partir do espaço, e aprimorando o nosso conhecimento sobre esta incrível nave espacial cósmica espiralada. Nesta visão panorâmica de larga escala, captada a partir do nosso planeta Terra, podemos ver acima do bojo (zona de poeira central) obscurecido pela poeira interestelar, a luz brilhante do planeta Júpiter. Mais além, nebulosas brilhantes, nuvens escuras de poeira e campos estelares ricos, espalham-se pelo fértil plano galáctico. Enquanto a vista inferior esquerda deste panorama mostra a galáxia espiral vizinha de Andrómeda, localizada a aproximadamente 2,5 milhões de anos-luz de nós – sabendo que um dia estas provavelmente colidirão ou se misturarão – no lado superior direito do braço da Via Láctea, outra luz aparentemente brilhante se destaca, não pertencendo a uma estrela, mas sim a Omega Centauri, o maior aglomerado globular da Via Láctea, com um diâmetro de aproximadamente 150 anos-luz de diâmetro. No lado esquerdo da imagem, o conhecido triângulo de verão encontra-se bem destacado, sendo formado por Vega (Lyra) – a estrela mais brilhante acima do braço esquerdo da galáxia – e Deneb (Cygnus), visível próximo da charmosa nebulosa de emissão vermelha América do Norte, enquanto a estrela Altair (Aquila) é visível abaixo do braço e “em direção” ao núcleo da galáxia.
A Close-up of the Galactic Center
Below is a close-up view of the Galactic Center with an annotated version which reveals the main deep sky objects. Read the entire photo article here.
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A lonely tree, the Stratovolcano Licancabur and the Outstanding Presence of Milky Way
Even in a remote desert we can find beautiful lonely trees like this one, which stands close to the outstanding presence of Milky Way as seen from San Pedro de Atacama, in Chile. In the background landscape, near the horizon where the Milky Way rises, is visible one of my favorites stratovolcanos in the world, Licancabur, located near the border with Bolivia, has 5916 meters.
PT: Mesmo num deserto remoto, podemos encontrar belas árvores solitárias, como esta que se destaca à esquerda da notável presença da Via Láctea, vista a partir de San Pedro de Atacama, no Chile! Ao fundo, próximo do horizonte onde nasce a Via Láctea é visível um estratovulcão, o Licancabur, localizado próximo à fronteira com a Bolívia, tem 5916 metros de altura.
An Abstract View of our Home Galaxy as Seen from the Distant Planet Earth
A single frame partially features our home galaxy, the Milky Way, full of bright emission nebulae visible in red/violet hues. Located high in the sky in the Southern Hemisphere, was framed between the branches of some trees from a small village in Atacama Desert, called San Pedro de Atacama, in Chile. Without the beauty of our Milky Way, the darkness of the night would be Scary.
PT: A imagem é o resultado de um disparo único, onde é possível ver uma pequena fracção da nossa galáxia, a Via Láctea, repleta de nebulosas de Our emissão brilhantes visíveis em tons de vermelho / violeta. Localizada bem alto no céu a partir do hemisfério sul, foi captada entre os galhos de algumas árvores de uma pequena vila no deserto do Atacama, chamada San Pedro de Atacama, no Chile. Sem a presenção da Via Láctea, a escuridão da noite, seria assustadora.
Without the Beauty of Milky Way, the Night Darkness Would be Scary
A single frame features our home galaxy, the Milky Way, full of bright emission nebulae visible in red/violet hues. Located high in the sky in the Southern Hemisphere, was framed between the branches of some trees from a small village in Atacama Desert, called San Pedro de Atacama, in Chile. Without the beauty of our Milky Way, the darkness of the night would be Scary.
PT: A imagem é o resultado de um disparo único, onde é possível ver a nossa galáxia, a Via Láctea, repleta de nebulosas de emissão brilhantes visíveis em tons de vermelho / violeta. Localizada bem alto no céu a partir do hemisfério sul, foi captada entre os galhos de algumas árvores de uma pequena vila no deserto do Atacama, chamada San Pedro de Atacama, no Chile. Sem a presenção da Via Láctea, a escuridão da noite, seria assustadora.
The Great Nebula in Carina Revealed in a Colorful Short Exposure from Atacama Desert
The image features the Great Nebula in Carina (NGC 3372), a glowing large nebula of the Southern Sky with filaments of interstellar gas and cosmic clouds of dark dust, lying at a distance of about 7,500 light-years away, located in the Carina–Sagittarius Arm of our Galaxy. Besides Eta Carinae Nebula, this short exposure comprises a total time integration of only 19 minutes, including the open cluster NGC 3324 visible on the right center and the blusih Gem Cluster NGC 3293, visible on the right edge of the image. The image was captured in Atacama Desert, Chile.
PT: Uma imagem de grande campo de céu profundo, revela a Grande Nebulosa Carina (NGC 3372), uma nebulosa grande e brilhante do Hemisfério Sul com filamentos de gás interestelar e nuvens cósmicas de poeira escura, situada a cerca de 7.500 anos-luz de distância, no braço “Carina–Sagittarius” da nossa galáxia. Além da nebulosa Eta Carinae, esta curta exposição compreende uma integração total de apenas 19 minutos, incluindo no seu enquadramento, o enxame de estrelas aberto NGC 3324 visível no centro direito e o “Gem Cluster” NGC 3293, um aglomerado de estrelas azulado, visível no extremo direito da imagem. A imagem foi captada no Deserto do Atacama, Chile.
Technical details | Detalhes Técnicos
Nikon D810a | Sigma 150-600mm DG OS HSM Sports at 600mm f/6.3| ISO2500 – Exp. 95 seconds x 12 lights | Montagem Star Adventure |Total integration of 12 Lights: 19 minutes. Processing on PixInsight 1.8.7 and Photoshop CC 2019. Atacama Desert, Chile.
Eta Carinae Nebula Surrounded by Several Star Clusters Shinning above the Mountains of Atacama Desert
A panorama of 4 single frames captured 75km south of Antofagasta, Chile, shows the magnificent Eta Carinae Nebula the above the mountains of Atacama Desert, surrounded by several blueish open clusters. The brightest one is NGC3532, visible above the Nebula, it contains about 150 stars. The second one, is NGC3114 a sparse open cluster which lies at 2971 light years from our Solar System, visible below the Nebula.
PT: Um panorama de 4 single frames captado 75 km a sul de Antofagasta, no Chile, mostra a magnífica Nebulosa Eta Carinae acima das montanhas do deserto do Atacama, no Chile, rodeada por vários enxames de estrelas abertos de tonalidade azulada. O mais brilhante que se destaca é o NGC3532, visível acima da nebulosa, contém cerca de 150 estrelas. Abaixo desta, destaca-se o NGC3114, um enxame aberto esparso, situado a cerca de 2971 anos-luz do nosso Sistema Solar.
Technical details | Detalhes Técnicos
A panorama of 4 single shots tracked with a Vixen portable mount captured with a Nikon D810a | Sigma Art 105mm at f/2,2 | ISO2500 | Exp. 30 secs.
The Greatness of Solitude with a Mesmerising View of the Milky Way above Atacama Desert
After a long trip by car from Antofagasta to Copiapó, in Chile, we made a short break to rest somewhere in the middle of Atacama desert. While my mate was trying to recover from a long drive of 5h, I decided to skip the rest and go outside to capture a wonderful night scene in a large mosaic made of 19 single shots. The greatness solitude of this scene was really mesmerising, looking into a vast reddish rocky desert where a small red car stands below the astonishing arc of Milky Way, knowing that there´s really nothing separating us – human beings – from the Universe we see outside. Beyond the landscape, the image features the dusty heart of our galaxy full of emission and reflection nebulae, as well as many regions of dark dust and star clusters, while other galaxies are shinning like the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, visible close to the horizon. The colorful region on the top left, is the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex, and not faraway, a bright white light belongs to Planet Jupiter. In the opposite direction, on the right top corner, a similar light in brightness is shinning too, although, it´s not a planet or even a single star, being actually the largest globular cluster in the Milky Way, Omega Centauri has approximately 10 million stars.
PT: Após uma longa viagem de carro de Antofagasta para Copiapó, no Chile, fizemos uma pequena pausa para descansar algures no meio do deserto do Atacama. Enquanto a minha companheira tentava descansar um pouco e recuperar de uma longa viagem de 5h, decidi não descansar e sair para o exterior onde um maravilhoso cenário noturna esperava por mim, aqui represetando num mosaico composto por 19 fotografias individuais. A grandeza solitária desta cena foi realmente esmagadora! Um vasto deserto rochoso avermelhado, e um pequeno carro solitário onde acima dele se erguia o surpreendente arco da Via Láctea, sabendo que, não há realmente nada a separar-nos – a nós, seres humanos – do Universo que contemplamos lá fora. Além da paisagem, a imagem apresenta o coração empoeirado de nossa galáxia, cheio de nebulosas de emissão e reflexão, bem como muitas regiões de poeira negra e aglomerados de estrelas, enquanto outras galáxias brilham para além da nossa, como as Núvens de Magalhães visíveis perto do horizonte. A região colorida no canto superior esquerdo é o complexo de Rho Ophiuchi, e não muito longe deste, uma luz branca brilhante pertence ao Planeta Júpiter. Na direção oposta, no canto superior direito, brilha também uma luz semelhante, embora não seja um planeta nem mesmo uma única estrela, sendo na verdade o maior aglomerado globular da Via Láctea, Omega Centauri possui aproximadamente 10 milhões de estrelas.
La Mano Del Desierto in a Colorful Vortex of Light
STOP!! If you think you are going to the North, this is the wrong direction. On this startrail scene, the whole hand seems to point to the Southern Cross constellation, represented as the bluish star paths visible on the top edge of the image. Acrux star, is the one that seems to indicate the South Pole, a vortex of light with an “empty” hole visible on the left side of the hand. Located at about 70 km south of Antofagasta, the sculpture made of iron and concrete stands alone in the desert at an altitude of 1100 meters above the sea level. La Mano Del Desierto is a beautiful piece of art made by Chilean sculptor Mario Irarrázabal, of an 11 meters hand that stands above the desert and where the fingers seems to touch the stars
PT: STOP!! Se pensa que está a ir em direcção ao Norte, está na direcção errada. Neste startrail, a mão inteira parece apontar para a constelação do Cruzeiro do Sul, representado como os traços azulados visíveis no extremo superior da imagem. A estrela Acrux, é a que parece indicar o Pólo Sul, um vórtice de luz com um “aparente buraco vazio” visível no lado esquerdo da mão. Localizada a cerca de 70 km a sul de Antofagasta, a escultura feita de ferro e concreto, destaca-se como uma imponente presença solitária no meio do deserto, a uma altitude de 1100 metros acima do nível do mar. La Mano Del Desierto é uma bela obra de arte feita pelo escultor chileno Mario Irarrázabal, de uma Mão de 11 metros que se destaca acima do deserto e onde os dedos parecem tocar as estrelas.
A Martian Eye Looks Deep Into our Milky Way Galaxy from Ojos Del Salar
Featured as NASA´s APOD – Astronomy Picture of the Day this unusual portrait is showing what could be a big “Martian Eye” looking deep to our Milky Way Galaxy. Captured originally in landscape format, this mosaic comprises 27 stilll images photographed from Ojos Del Salar, two small lagoons standing close each other forming like a pair of eyes point high up. Located in the middle of nowhere, in Atacama Desert, they can be found almost 30km from San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. The rocky desert of Atacama, sometimes reminds me of the redish martian soil. On July, in the Southern Hemisphere the core of Milky Way galaxy stands very high in the sky, touching the Zenith this time of the year.
PT: Destacado como NASA´s APOD – Astronomy Picture of the Day, este retrato incomum revela o que poderia ser um “grande olho marciano”, a observar profundamente a nossa galáxia, a Via Láctea. Captado originalmente em formato de paisagem, este mosaico compreende 27 imagens estáticas fotografadas a partir dos Ojos Del Salar, duas pequenas lagoas próximas uma da outra, formando como que um par de olhos apontados para o alto, algures em pleno deserto de Atacama, a cerca de 30 km de San Pedro de Atacama, no Chile. O deserto rochoso e avermelhado do Atacama, por vezes relembra-me o solo marciano. Em julho, no Hemisfério Sul, o núcleo da Via Láctea encontra-se muito alto no céu, tocando o Zénite nesta época do ano.
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Colorful Milky Way Shines Above a Lagoon Lost in the Desert
A vertical panorama captured above Ojos Del Salar lagoon, reflects the main stars of the Southern Cross constellation. Above the rocky desert horizon, Eta Carinae nebula is visible in reddish hues while the entire colorful band of light from the Milky Way extends high up to the Zenith. Close to the top stands the core of our galaxy, featuring many more nebulae, dark dust and cluster of stars, a bright light stands out though, belonging to the giant planet Jupiter, is actually located not far away from the orange supergiant star Antares, in Scorpius constellation, near the right edge of the image. Ojos Del Salar, are located at about 30km from San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.
PT: Um panorama vertical captado acima da lagoa Ojos Del Salar, reflete as principais estrelas da constelação do Cruzeiro do Sul. Acima do horizonte rochoso do deserto, a nebulosa Eta Carinae é visível em tons avermelhados, enquanto toda a faixa colorida de luz da Via Láctea se estende até o Zénite. Perto do topo, fica o núcleo da nossa galáxia, com muito mais nebulosas, poeira escura e aglomerado de estrelas. No entanto, uma luz brilhante se destaca, pertencente ao gigante planeta Júpiter, na verdade está localizada não muito longe da estrela supergigante vermelha, Antares, na constelação do Escorpião, perto da borda direita da imagem. Ojos Del Salar, estão localizados a cerca de 30 km de San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.
Mano Del Desierto with a Finger on the Star
La Mano Del Desierto is a beautiful piece of art made by Chilean sculptor Mario Irarrázabal, of an 11 meters hand that stands above the desert and where the fingers seems to touch the stars. On this particular shot the whole hand seems to point to Eta Carinae nebula and above it, we can find the Southern Cross, which points to South Pole (left side of the image). While the hand ring finger seems to touch on Avior star, from Carina constellation, on the left side of the hand, the Small Magellanic cloud is shinning above the horizon. Located at about 70 km south of Antofagasta, the sculpture made of iron and concrete stands alone in the desert at an altitude of 1100 meters above the sea level.
PT: La Mano Del Desierto é uma bela obra de arte feita pelo escultor chileno Mario Irarrázabal, de uma Mão de 11 metros que se destaca acima do deserto e onde os dedos parecem tocar as estrelas. Nesta foto em particular, a mão inteira parece apontar para a nebulosa Eta Carinae e logo acima dela, podemos encontrar o Cruzeiro do Sul, que aponta para o Pólo Sul (lado esquerdo da imagem). Enquanto o dedo anelar da mão parece tocar a estrela Avior, da constelação de Carina, no lado esquerdo da mão a pequena Núvem de Magalhães brilha acima do horizonte. Localizada a cerca de 70 km a sul de Antofagasta, a escultura feita de ferro e concreto, destaca-se como uma imponente presença solitária no meio do deserto, a uma altitude de 1100 metros acima do nível do mar.
Large Magellanic Cloud with Redish Airglow above the Mountains of Atacama Desert
A single shot captured 75km south of Antofagasta, Chile, shows the magnificent Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) above the mountains of Atacama Desert, while the sky was full of a redish airglow bands, also known as atmospheric gravity waves. The LMC is the most massive satellite galaxy of our own Milky Way. It was named Magellanic, regarding the 16th century Portuguese navigator Fernão de Magalhães.
PT: Um single frame captado 75 km a sul de Antofagasta, no Chile, mostra a magnífica Grande Nuvem de Magalhães (LMC) acima das montanhas do deserto de Atacama, enquanto o céu estava cheio de faixas avermelhadas, também conhecidas como ondas gravíticas atmosféricas. A Grande Núvem de Magalhães é a galáxia satélite mais massiva da nossa Via Láctea. Foi batizada de Magalhães, em referência ao navegador português do século XVI, Fernão de Magalhães.
Technical details | Detalhes Técnicos
A single shot tracked with a Vixen portable mount captured with a Nikon D850 | Sigma Art 105mm at f/1,6 | ISO1600 | Exp. 30 secs.
My Milky Starry View from San Pedro de Atacama
A single image features the core of our home galaxy, the Milky Way, full of bright emission nebulae visible in red/violet hues. Located high in the sky at this time of the year in the Southern Hemisphere, was framed above my hotel´s “hut” with a lovely view, between the branches of some trees from a small village in Atacama Desert, called San Pedro de Atacama, in Chile. For those like me that are based in the Northern Hemisphere, a sky like that seems to be inverted, although, the bright light of Jupiter in the top center, helped to recognize the Dark River, dark absorption nebulas that extends from the central band of Milky Way, connecting the Pipe Nebula to the colourful region near bright star Antares, Rho Ophiuchi in Scorpius constellation.
PT: A imagem revela o núcleo da nossa galáxia, a Via Láctea, cheia de nebulosas de emissão brilhantes visíveis em tons de vermelho / violeta. Localizada bem alto no céu nesta época do ano, no Hemisfério Sul, é visível logo acima da “cabana” do meu hotel, com uma vista incrível por entre os galhos de algumas árvores de uma pequena vila no deserto de Atacama, chamada San Pedro de Atacama, no Chile. Para aqueles que como eu, habitam no Hemisfério Norte, um céu assim parece invertido, embora a luz brilhante de Júpiter no centro superior, tenha ajudado a reconhecer o Dark River, as nebulosas escuras de absorção que se estendem da faixa central de Via Láctea, conectando a Pipe Nebula à região colorida perto da brilhante estrela Antares, conhecida como Rho Ophiuchi, na constelação do Escorpião.
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Milky Way above Trees in São Pedro de Atacama
Central region of Milky Way above the trees of a farm from the small desert village of São Pedro de Atacama. Chile – October 2015.
PT: Região Central da Via Láctea acima das árvores de uma quinta na vila de São Pedro de Atacama. Chile. Outubro 2015
Milky Way and Magellanic Clouds above São Pedro de Atacama
Milky Way arc with Zodiacal Light above a farm from the small desert village of São Pedro de Atacama. In the left part of this panoramic view, is also visible the Canopus star rising above the horizon and the Large (LMC) and Small (SMC) Magellanic clouds shining high in the sky of Chile – October 2015.
PT: O arco da Via Láctea e a Luz Zodiacal acima de uma quinta na vila de São Pedro de Atacama. À esquerda, a estrela Canopus nasce acima do horizonte, e logo acima desta, erguem-se a grande (LMC) e pequena (SMC) Nuvem de Magalhães – galáxias satélite da Via Láctea – visíveis a olho nu, brilham intensamente nos céus do Chile. Outubro 2015
Milky Way above Valle de la Muerte in Chile
Milky Way and Zodiacal Light captured after the nautical twilight above Valle de la Muerte, in la Cordillera De La Sal, near San Pedro de Atacama, Chile – October 2015.
PT: Via Láctea e a Luz Zodiacal captada a seguir ao crepúsculo náutico acima do Vale da Morte, na cordilheira De La Sal, próxima a São Pedro de Atacama, no Chile. Outubro 2015
Reddish Airglow Bands on ALMA sky
In the background, we can see the arm of Milky Way full of gas and dust with the Zodiacal Light crossing the sky. In the upper left part of the image, is also visible a reddish airglow bands. In the foreground, is also visible one antenna (DV-21) of 12 meters in diameter, pointing to some place of the cold Universe. This are the first tests to experiment the largest configuration that ALMA can support, with antennas spreaded over distances up to 16 km. The array thus simulates a giant, single telescope much larger than any that could actually be built. In fact, ALMA has a maximum resolution which is even better than that achieved, at visible wavelengths, by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum. ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust.
ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
Twilight over the spread Antennas from ALMA Telescope
After the sunset starts the nautical twilight and the sky assumes a beautiful pallet of blueish and orange colors, giving space to appearing the first stars of the some constellations. In the foreground, is also visible one antenna (DV-21) of 12 meters in diameter, pointing to some place of the cold Universe. This are the first tests to experiment the largest configuration that ALMA can support, with antennas spread over distances up to 16 km. The array thus simulates a giant, single telescope much larger than any that could actually be built. In fact, ALMA has a maximum resolution which is even better than that achieved, at visible wavelengths, by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum. ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust.
ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
Paranal Summit with VLT in Daylight
A daylight view in the desert from Paranal summit, where stands the VLT platform. The Atacama Desert is the driest place on Earth. The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture.
Image taken taken in 15/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
The Nautical Twilight with the Moon in ALMA
After the sunset starts the nautical twilight and the sky assumes a beautiful pallet of blueish and orange colors, giving space to appearing the first stars of the some constellations. In the foreground, is also visible one antenna (DV-21) of 12 meters in diameter, pointing to some place of the cold Universe, and its right side the Moon. This are the first tests to experiment the largest configuration that ALMA can support, with antennas spread over distances up to 16 km. The array thus simulates a giant, single telescope much larger than any that could actually be built. In fact, ALMA has a maximum resolution which is even better than that achieved, at visible wavelengths, by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum. ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust.
ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
Cerro Paranal Shadow projected in Cerro Armazones
Above the horizon we can see Cerro Armazones mountain illuminated by the sunset reddish color that is reflected in the land and high clouds, also with the projected shadow of Cerro Paranal. With an altitude of 3060 meterss in the central part of Chiles Atacama Desert, some 130 kilometers south of the town of Antofagasta and about 20 kilometers from Cerro Paranal, home of ESOs Very Large Telescope. Cerro Armazones will be the baseline site for the planned 39-metre-class European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), with a planned construction period of about a decade. The telescope’s “eye” will be almost half the length of a soccer pitch in diameter and will gather 15 times more light than the largest optical telescopes operating today. The telescope has an innovative five-mirror design that includes advanced adaptive optics to correct for the turbulent atmosphere, giving exceptional image quality. The main mirror will be made up from almost 800 hexagonal segments.
Image taken taken in 16/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Fulldome View of Reddish Airglow Bands and Milky Way on ALMA
In the background, we can see in this fish-eye fulldome view, the arm of Milky Way full of gas and dust with the Zodiacal Light crossing the sky. In the upper left part of the image, is also visible a reddish airglow bands. In the foreground, is also visible one antenna (DV-21) of 12 meters in diameter, pointing to some place of the cold Universe. This are the first tests to experiment the largest configuration that ALMA can support, with antennas spread over distances up to 16 km. The array thus simulates a giant, single telescope much larger than any that could actually be built. In fact, ALMA has a maximum resolution which is even better than that achieved, at visible wavelengths, by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum. ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust.
ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
Eta Carinae above the Dome of Residencia
The incredibly dark and transparent sky of Paranal, in the Atacama Desert, Chile, is the perfect place to see the bright emission nebula Eta Carinae (almost in the center of the image). Below we also can see the violet-red color coming from the Running Chicken Nebula (IC2944) and below the dark band of clouds and above the horizon, is also visible the red-hued giant star Gacrux as well as the blue-hued giant star Mimosa, both from the Southern Cross constellation. The hazy atmosphere works as a natural diffuse filter, enhancing the saturation and revealing the real color temperature of each stars. More bluish they are, more hottest is their temperature. The orange-red stars, are coldest. The white dome is the Residencia for astronomers that are working on VLT Telescopes operated by ESO.
Image taken taken in 17/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
A Panoramic view to the top of Cerro Paranal
Panoramic view from VISTA telescope to the top of Cerro Paranal (at left) where it is located the VLT platform. In the right side we can see the Milky Way trying to show up behind a dark band of clouds, also covering the Moonset. The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture.
Image taken taken in 17/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Alone with ALMA
In the background we can see the arm of Milky Way full of gas and dust with the Zodiacal Light crossing the sky. In the foreground, is also visible one antenna (DV-21) of 12 meters in diameter, pointing to some place of the cold Universe. This are the first tests to experiment the largest configuration that ALMA can support, with antennas spreaded over distances up to 16 km. The array thus simulates a giant, single telescope much larger than any that could actually be built. In fact, ALMA has a maximum resolution which is even better than that achieved, at visible wavelengths, by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum. ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust.
ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
Cerro Armazones, the home for the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT)
Above the horizon we can see Cerro Armazones mountain iluminated by the sunset redish color that is reflected in the land and high clouds . With an altitude of 3060 metres in the central part of Chiles Atacama Desert, some 130 kilometres south of the town of Antofagasta and about 20 kilometres from Cerro Paranal, home of ESOs Very Large Telescope. Cerro Armazone will be the baseline site for the planned 39-metre-class European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), with a planned construction period of about a decade. The telescope’s “eye” will be almost half the length of a soccer pitch in diameter and will gather 15 times more light than the largest optical telescopes operating today. The telescope has an innovative five-mirror design that includes advanced adaptive optics to correct for the turbulent atmosphere, giving exceptional image quality. The main mirror will be made up from almost 800 hexagonal segments.
Image taken taken in 16/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Belt of Venus above the DIMM tower in Cerro Paranal
In the foreground, we can see the white Meteorological Tower of Paranal. The small dome contains a telescope dedicated to monitoring the atmospheric seeing conditions, known as a Differential Image Motion Monitor (DIMM.) In the background is strongly visible the Earth’s shadow, the shadow that the Earth itself casts on its atmosphere. This shadow is visible in the opposite half of the sky to the sunset or sunrise, and is seen right above the horizon as a dark blue band. Immediately above, a pink band that is visible above the dark blue of the Earth’s shadow is called “Belt of Venus”, and is caused by backscattering of refracted sunlight due to fine dust particles high in the atmosphere.
Image taken taken in 16/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Atacama Desert View with Cerro Armazones
From left to right and above the horizon we can see in this panoramic view of Atacama desert, the Cerro Armazones mountain, illuminated by the sunset reddish color that is reflected in the land and high clouds, coming from the right edge of the image in the opposite direction, where it is located the Pacific Ocean. With an altitude of 3060 meters in the central part of Chiles Atacama Desert, some 130 kilometers south of the town of Antofagasta and about 20 kilometers from Cerro Paranal, home of ESOs Very Large Telescope. Cerro Armazones will be the baseline site for the planned 39-meter-class European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), with a planned construction period of about a decade. The telescope’s “eye” will be almost half the length of a soccer pitch in diameter and will gather 15 times more light than the largest optical telescopes operating today. The telescope has an innovative five-mirror design that includes advanced adaptive optics to correct for the turbulent atmosphere, giving exceptional image quality. The main mirror will be made up from almost 800 hexagonal segments.
Image taken taken in 16/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
The First Portuguese Official Expedition to ALMA
Apolónia Rodrigues (Dark Sky Alqueva Coordinator) and Miguel Claro (Astrophotographer), during the first portuguese oficial visit to ESO – Cerro Paranal and ALMA. The picture was taken at 5000-m high, on the Chajnantor plateau in the Chilean Andes, where the European Southern Observatory (ESO), together with its international partners, are operating the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum. ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust.
ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
The Back of DV-21 ALMA Antenna with the Milky Way
In the background we can see the arm of Milky Way full of gas and dust with the Zodiacal Light crossing the sky. In the foreground, is also visible the back of (DV-21) antenna -12 meters in diameter – pointing to some place of the cold Universe. This are the first tests to experiment the largest configuration that ALMA can support, with antennas spreaded over distances up to 16 km. The array thus simulates a giant, single telescope much larger than any that could actually be built. In fact, ALMA has a maximum resolution which is even better than that achieved, at visible wavelengths, by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum. ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust.
ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
VLT Residencia with Orion, Sirus, Canopus and Magellanic Clouds
In the left side of the sky we can see the Orion constellation with the orientation inverted for being seen from the Southern Hemisphere, close to the right, we can find the brightest star of the entire celestial sphere and Northen Hemisphere, Sirius. Moving further up, in the center of the image, is located the Canopus star, the brightest star of Southern Hemisphere. Next to it, is well spoted the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, a duo of irregular dwarf galaxies, which are members of the Local Group and are orbiting the Milky Way galaxy. In the ground, we can see the white dome of Residencia where astronomers from ESO that are working daily on VLT complex are hosted. In the background we also can see a tone of green and reddish faint light, coming from the airglow phenomenon.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 17/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Profile of Antenna DV-21 from ALMA in the Twilight
After the sunset starts the nautical twilight and the sky assumes a beautiful pallete of blueish and orange colors, giving space to appearing the first stars of the some constelalltions. In the foreground, is also visible one antenna (DV-21) of 12 meters in diameter, pointing to some place of the cold Universe. This are the first tests to experiment the largest configuration that ALMA can support, with antennas spreaded over distances up to 16 km. The array thus simulates a giant, single telescope much larger than any that could actually be built. In fact, ALMA has a maximum resolution which is even better than that achieved, at visible wavelengths, by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum. ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust.
ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
Stunning view of the Milky Way above ALMA along with the Moonset
In the background we can see the heart of our Galaxy full of gas and dust, star clusters and emission nebulae, as well as the orange star Antares from Scorpius constellation and the dark dust that connects this region to the main arm of Milky Way. Below at right, a faint white light called the Zodiacal Light is very well visible, coming up as a backlight behind the antenna of ALMA (DV-21) with12 meters in diameter, is capturing the wavelengths from vast cold clouds in the interstellar space. Above the horizon we also can see an orange glow coming from the moonset. This are the first tests to experiment the largest configuration that ALMA can support, with antennas spread over distances up to 16 km. The array thus simulates a giant, single telescope much larger than any that could actually be built. In fact, ALMA has a maximum resolution which is even better than that achieved, at visible wavelengths, by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum. ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust. ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
Fulldome View of Zodiacal Light and Milky Way on ALMA
In the background, we can see in this fish-eye fulldome view, the arm of Milky Way full of gas and dust with the Zodiacal Light crossing the sky. In the foreground, is also visible one antenna (DV-21) of 12 meters in diameter, pointing to some place of the cold Universe. This are the first tests to experiment the largest configuration that ALMA can support, with antennas spreaded over distances up to 16 km. The array thus simulates a giant, single telescope much larger than any that could actually be built. In fact, ALMA has a maximum resolution which is even better than that achieved, at visible wavelengths, by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum. ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust.
ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
Panoramic View of the Milky Way above ALMA Plateau
In the background we can see the arc of Milky Way full of gas and dust with the Zodiacal Light crossing the sky, and at left, the both Magellanic Clouds. In the foreground, is also visible one antenna (DV-21) of 12 meters in diameter, pointing to some place of the cold Universe. This are the first tests to experiment the largest configuration that ALMA can support, with antennas spreaded over distances up to 16 km. The array thus simulates a giant, single telescope much larger than any that could actually be built. In fact, ALMA has a maximum resolution which is even better than that achieved, at visible wavelengths, by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum. ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust.
ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
Milky Way Crossing the Sky of ALMA
Above the last antenna in the left center horizon, the bright object visible is not a star itself, but the great globular cluster Omega Centauri. Next to it, in the beginning of Milky Way arc, are spotted the bright stars of Alpha and Beta Centauri. Along his path we can enjoy the magnificent presence of our Galaxy full of gas and dust, star clusters and emission nebulae, as well as the orange star Antares from Scorpius constellation, and the dark streaks that are part of Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex, which connects this region to the main arm of Milky Way. Below right, we find planet Saturn and a faint white light called the Zodiacal Light, coming up as a backlight behind the antenna of ALMA (DV-21) with12 meters in diameter, is capturing the wavelengths from vast cold clouds in the interstellar space. This are the first tests to experiment the largest configuration that ALMA can support, with antennas spread over distances up to 16 km. The array thus simulates a giant, single telescope much larger than any that could actually be built. In fact, ALMA has a maximum resolution which is even better than that achieved, at visible wavelengths, by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-meter array has fifty antennas, 12 meters in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-meter and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimeter and submillimetre part of the spectrum.
ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust. ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
Twilight With a New Large Configuration of Antennas in ALMA
After the sunset starts the nautical twilight and the sky assumes a beautiful pallete of blueish and orange colors, giving space to appearing the first stars of the some constelalltions. In the foreground, is also visible one antenna (DV-21) of 12 meters in diameter, pointing to some place of the cold Universe. This are the first tests to experiment the largest configuration that ALMA can support, with antennas spreaded over distances up to 16 km. The array thus simulates a giant, single telescope much larger than any that could actually be built. In fact, ALMA has a maximum resolution which is even better than that achieved, at visible wavelengths, by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum.
ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust. ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
Stunning view of the Milky Way above Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA)
In the background we can see the heart of our Galaxy full of gas and dust, star clusters and emission nebulae, as well as the orange star Antares from Scorpius constellation and the dark dust that conects this region to the main arm of Milky Way. Below, in the foreground of this same region, a faint white light called the Zodiacal Light is very well visible, coming up as a backlight behind the antenna of ALMA (DV-21) with12 meters in diameter, is capturing the wavelengths from vast cold clouds in the interstellar space. This are the first tests to experiment the largest configuration that ALMA can support, with antennas spreaded over distances up to 16 km. The array thus simulates a giant, single telescope much larger than any that could actually be built. In fact, ALMA has a maximum resolution which is even better than that achieved, at visible wavelengths, by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation. ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum.
ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust. ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
A Close-up of ALMA Antenna DV-21 and the Crescent Moon with Earthshine
After the sunset starts the nautical twilight and the sky assumes a beautiful pallete of blueish and orange colors, giving space to appearing the first stars of the some constelalltions. In the foreground, is also visible one antenna (DV-21) of 12 meters in diameter, pointing to some place of the cold Universe and at his right side, the Crescent Moon with the strong Earthshine effect very well visible.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5,000 meters altitude, near Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. Consisting of 66 12-meter (39 ft), and 7-meter (23 ft) diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation.
ALMA is a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high-precision antennas, and operating at wavelengths of 0.32 to 3.6 mm. Its main 12-metre array has fifty antennas, 12 metres in diameter, acting together as a single telescope — an interferometer. An additional compact array of four 12-metre and twelve 7-metre antennas complements this. The 66 ALMA antennas can be arranged in different configurations, where the maximum distance between antennas can vary from 150 metres to 16 kilometres, which will give ALMA a powerful variable “zoom”. It will be able to probe the Universe at millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution, with a vision up to ten times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope, and complementing images made with the VLT Interferometer. Light at these wavelengths comes from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and from some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in the Universe. Astronomers can use it to study the chemical and physical conditions in molecular clouds — the dense regions of gas and dust where new stars are being born. Often these regions of the Universe are dark and obscured in visible light, but they shine brightly in the millimetre and submillimetre part of the spectrum. ALMA is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust. ALMA will study the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, galaxies and life itself. By providing scientists with detailed images of stars and planets being born in gas clouds near our Solar System, and detecting distant galaxies forming at the edge of the observable Universe, which we see as they were roughly ten billion years ago, it lets astronomers address some of the deepest questions of our cosmic origins.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from Chajnantor plateau, Atacama desert, Chile.
A startrail of Magellanic Clouds around the South Pole
In the left side of the sky we can see the trail of Sirius star. Moving to the right in the center of the image, is located the Canopus startrail, as well the draged motion of Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. Below them, the rotational motion of Earth helped to find with precision the right position of the South Pole in the sky. In the ground, we can see the white dome of Residencia where astronomers from ESO working daily on VLT complex, are hosted.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) is a telescope operated by the ESO – European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT is the world’s most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter, which are generally used separately but can be used together to achieve very high angular resolution. The four separate optical telescopes are known as Antu, Kueyen, Melipal and Yepun, which are all words for astronomical objects in the Mapuche language, with optical elements that can combine them into an astronomical interferometer (VLTI), which is used to resolve small objects. The interferometer is complemented by four movable Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs) of 1.8 m aperture. The 8.2m diameter Unit Telescopes can also be used individually. With one such telescope, images of celestial objects as faint as magnitude 30 can be obtained in a one-hour exposure. This corresponds to seeing objects that are four billion (four thousand million) times fainter than what can be seen with the unaided eye. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’, the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer, allowing astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than with the individual telescopes. The light beams are combined in the VLTI using a complex system of mirrors in underground tunnels where the light paths must be kept equal to distances less than 1/1000 mm over a hundred metres. With this kind of precision the VLTI can reconstruct images with an angular resolution of milliarcseconds, equivalent to distinguishing the two headlights of a car at the distance of the Moon.
Image taken taken in 17/10/2015 from Cerro Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile.
Testing ALMA Band Receiver in Laboratory
This picture shows an electronic engineer while is photographing the components in one of the Band receivers cartridges built for the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), one of the most sensitive and expensive parts of the Antennas. Extremely weak signals from space are collected by the ALMA antennas and focussed onto the receivers, which transform the faint radiation into an electrical signal. Before its construction is even completed, the new ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) telescope has embarked on an upgrade that will help astronomers investigate the earliest galaxies and search for water in other planetary systems, designing and building of an additional set of receivers with state-of-the-art performance, which will enable the telescope to access a portion of the spectrum of light that it cannot currently study. ALMA observes the Universe in radio waves: light which is invisible to our eyes. The weak glow coming from space is collected by the ALMA antennas and focused onto the receivers that transform the feeble radiation into an electrical signal. ALMA has 10 receiver bands to cover a wide range of observing frequency. For more effective reception of different bands of frequency, dedicated receivers have been developed for each band. The new receivers will be able to detect electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths between about 1.4 and 1.8 millimeters, one of the ranges of the spectrum to which Earth’s atmosphere is partially transparent, which allows the light to reach the ALMA antennas. These wavelengths correspond to radio frequencies between 163 and 211 Gigahertz. ALMA has reached a major milestone by extending its vision fully into the realm of the submillimetre, the wavelengths of cosmic light that hold intriguing information about the cold, dark, and distant Universe. Image taken in 14/10/2016 at the ALMA Operations Support Facility, close to San Pedro de Atacama in northern Chile.
Image taken taken in 14/10/2015 from ALMA Operations Support Facility, Atacama desert, Chile.
