Movement of the ALMA Telescope

31 December, 2009 / Read time: 1 minute

In 2 minutes, this video briefly explains why the antennas must move in order to observe celestial objects, as well as detailing one of the main reasons why ALMA is so far north and so many meters above sea level.

The footage shows the mechanisms that allow the antennas to perform these arcing motions, and how state-of-the-art software and hardware assure the science team that the signals they receive from the antennas are not being altered by the low (but existing) humidity in the atmospheric air.

Credits: National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO)