ALMA: greater than the sum of its parts

The antennas of ALMA are spread across the Chajnantor plateau in the Chilean Andes over distances of up to 16 kilometers, and they work in unison, to form what is known as an interferometer. In doing so, ALMA is more powerful than the sum of its parts, acting like a single giant telescope as large as the whole collection of antennas. © J.F. Salgado (ESO)