Working on a 39-foot telescope dish | Space photo of the day for Sept. 10, 2025

在39英尺望远镜碟形天线上工作|2025年9月10日每日太空照片

In the high-altitude desert of northern Chile sits the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). Conceived as a partnership among scientists in Europe, North America, East Asia, and Chile, ALMA was designed to be a powerful radio-astronomy observatory that could peer into the coldest and most distant regions of the cosmos, where stars and planets are born.

在智利北部的高海拔沙漠中坐落着阿塔卡马大型毫米/亚毫米阵列（ALMA）。ALMA是欧洲、北美、东亚和智利科学家之间的合作项目，旨在成为一个强大的射电天文台，可以窥视宇宙中最冷和最遥远的区域，那里是恒星和行星诞生的地方。

A recent post on X from the ALMA Observatory shows one of the telescope's antenna dishes under construction, with the caption: "Fifteen years ago, when the antennas ... arrived to Chile, they were assembled on site, piece by piece."

阿尔玛天文台最近在X上发布的一篇帖子显示了该望远镜正在建造的天线碟形天线之一，标题是：“十五年前，当天线……抵达智利时，它们是在现场一块一块地组装的。”

Work on ALMA began in the early 2000s, and by 2011 the array of antenna dishes began early science operations. The site was chosen for its dryness and altitude, with little light pollution. The thin air allowed for millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths of light, which are normally absorbed by Earth's atmosphere, to reach the antennas with little interference.

ALMA的工作始于21世纪初，到2011年，天线阵列开始了早期的科学操作。选择这个地点是因为它干燥，海拔高，几乎没有光污染。稀薄的空气使得通常被地球大气层吸收的毫米和亚毫米波长的光几乎不受干扰地到达天线。

This photo was taken in an assembly warehouse near the Chajnantor Plateau in Chile, where ALMA is located.

这张照片拍摄于ALMA所在的智利Chajnantor高原附近的装配仓库。

Rather than relying on a single telescope, ALMA is composed of 66 high-precision antennas, each either 23 feet (7 meters) or 39 feet (12 m) in diameter. These antennas can be moved across the plateau using massive transporter vehicles, adjusting the configuration of the array. When spread apart, these dishes act together as a single giant radio telescope with incredible resolution.

ALMA不是依靠单个望远镜，而是由66个高精度天线组成，每个天线的直径为23英尺（7米）或39英尺（12米）。这些天线可以使用大型运输车在高原上移动，调整阵列的配置。当分开时，这些碟形天线一起充当一个具有令人难以置信的分辨率的巨型射电望远镜。

Unfortunately, having such a wide array can also have its drawbacks, as a recent snowstorm blanketed the area with unprecedented moisture. The observatory was forced to enter "survival mode," with scientific observations temporarily suspended. Thankfully, the snow eventually melted and measurements could resume at this cutting-edge observatory.

不幸的是，拥有如此广泛的阵列也有其缺点，因为最近的暴风雪用前所未有的湿气覆盖了该地区。天文台被迫进入“生存模式”，科学观测暂时停止。谢天谢地，雪最终融化了，测量可以在这个最先进的天文台恢复。

You can read more about ALMA's findings and telescopes in Chile.

你可以在智利阅读更多关于ALMA的发现和望远镜的信息。