Chile: Gateway to the Stars

23 May, 2024 / Read time: 1 minute

This video presents beautiful images of the Chajnantor Plateau in northern Chile, where the Array Operations Site (AOS) of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is located. Located 5,000 meters above sea level, this site has ideal environmental conditions for astronomical observation. 

High in the Atacama Desert, this special arid terrain has been home to the Likan Antai or Atacameños, who baptized it as the Chajnantor Plateau or “take-off site” in the Kunza language. For generations, this place has been a privileged site for stargazing.

Credits: NRAO/AUI/NSF; ESO & ESO/S. Guisard; ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO); NASA/CXC/Wesleyan Univ./R.Kilgard et al; NASA/JPL-Caltech; NASA/ESA/S. Beckwith & Hubble Heritage Team (STScl/AURA); NASA/JPL-Caltech/ Univ. of AZ/R. Kennicutt; NASA, ESA, and B. Whitmore (STScl); NASA; ESA; SAO; CXC; JPL-Caltec y STScl