ALMA stands for Atacama Large Millimeter Array, it is an international partnership of astronomical observatories, which operates a radio telescope array located in the Atacama Desert in Chile. ALMA is one of the largest and most powerful observatories in the world, it is capable of observing radio waves with wavelengths of 0.3 to 9.6 millimeters.
ALMA is designed to study the early Universe and the origins of galaxies, stars, and planetary systems, as well as the properties of the cold Universe, such as the interstellar medium, comets, and the Solar System's outer planets, and also to study the Universe's first galaxies, stars, and black holes.
Examples of ALMA observations include:
- The study of the formation of stars and planetary systems by observing the birthplaces of these objects, such as protoplanetary disks, and molecular clouds.
- The study of the properties of distant galaxies and quasars, including their dynamics, chemistry, and the properties of their central black holes.
- The study of the properties of the cold Universe, including the interstellar medium and the properties of comets and outer planets in the Solar System.
- The study of the properties of the cosmic microwave background, which is the radiation left over from the Big Bang, and also the study of the properties of the primordial gas clouds that led to the formation of the first galaxies.
ALMA is a powerful tool for studying the Universe and its origins, and the data collected by the observatory provides new insights into the properties of the early Universe and the formation of galaxies, stars, and planetary systems.