ALMA Groundbreaking Ceremony

30 November, 2003 / Read time: 1 minute

This 2003 video shows the trip of representatives from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) to northern Chile to participate in the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). 

Along the way, there are images of the Chilean capital and the closest town to the observatory, San Pedro de Atacama, along with its incredible and unique natural landscapes that enrich tourism in this arid ecosystem. 

ALMA authorities and partners gathered on the Chajnantor Plateau, at an altitude of 5,000 meters in the middle of the Atacama Desert, where ALMA prepared to install its 66 antennas to observe the Universe.

Credits: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ)