Editing Atacama Large Millimeter Array (section)

{{Short description|66-telescope radio observatory in Chile}}
{{Infobox telescope
| built = {{start date and age|2013|03}}
}}

The '''Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array''' ('''ALMA''') is an [[astronomical interferometer]] of 66 [[radio telescope]]s in the [[Atacama Desert]] of northern [[Chile]], which observe [[electromagnetic radiation]] at millimeter and [[submillimeter]] [[wavelength]]s. The array has been constructed on the {{cvt|5000|m|ft}} elevation Chajnantor plateau – near the [[Llano de Chajnantor Observatory]] and the [[Atacama Pathfinder Experiment]]. This location was chosen for its high elevation and low [[humidity]], factors which are crucial to reduce noise and decrease signal attenuation due to Earth's atmosphere.<ref name="PARQUE">{{cite journal |doi=10.1086/679330 |title=Parque Astronómico de Atacama: An Ideal Site for Millimeter, Submillimeter, and Mid-Infrared Astronomy |date=2014 |last1=Bustos |first1=R. |last2=Rubio |first2=M. |last3=Otárola |first3=A. |last4=Nagar |first4=N. |journal=Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific |volume=126 |issue=946 |pages=1126 |arxiv = 1410.2451 |bibcode = 2014PASP..126.1126B |s2cid=118539242 |display-authors=3 }}</ref> ALMA provides insight on star birth during the early [[Chronology of the universe#Earliest structures and stars emerge|Stelliferous era]] and detailed imaging of [[List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs|local]] star and planet formation.<ref name="AstroJour">{{cite journal |last1=Bae |first1=Jaehan |last2=Teague |first2=Richard |last3=Andrews |first3=Sean M. |last4=Benisty |first4=Myriam |last5=Facchini |first5=Stefano |last6=Galloway-Sprietsma |first6=Maria |last7=Loomis |first7=Ryan A. |last8=Aikawa |first8=Yuri |last9=Alarcón |first9=Felipe |last10=Bergin |first10=Edwin |last11=Bergner |first11=Jennifer B. |last12=Booth |first12=Alice S. |last13=Cataldi |first13=Gianni |last14=Cleeves |first14=L. Ilsedore |last15=Czekala |first15=Ian |last16=Guzmán |first16=Viviana V. |last17=Huang |first17=Jane |last18=Ilee |first18=John D. |last19=Kurtovic |first19=Nicolas T. |last20=Law |first20=Charles J. |last21=Gal |first21=Romane Le |last22=Liu |first22=Yao |last23=Long |first23=Feng |last24=Ménard |first24=François |last25=Öberg |first25=Karin I. |last26=Pérez |first26=Laura M. |last27=Qi |first27=Chunhua |last28=Schwarz |first28=Kamber R. |last29=Sierra |first29=Anibal |last30=Walsh |first30=Catherine |last31=Wilner |first31=David J. |last32=Zhang |first32=Ke |title=Molecules with ALMA at Planet-forming Scales (MAPS): A Circumplanetary Disk Candidate in Molecular-line Emission in the AS 209 Disk |journal=The Astrophysical Journal Letters |date=1 August 2022 |volume=934 |issue=2 |pages=L20 |doi=10.3847/2041-8213/ac7fa3|arxiv=2207.05923 |bibcode=2022ApJ...934L..20B |s2cid=250492936 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="Plait">{{cite web |last1=Plait |first1=Phil |title=A still-forming exoplanet predicted to exist is found in exactly the right spot |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/bad-astronomy-exoplanet-around-as-209-is-carving-gaps-in-its-disk |website=SYFY Official Site |date=8 September 2022}}</ref>

ALMA is an international partnership amongst [[Europe]], the [[United States]], [[Canada]], [[Japan]], [[South Korea]], [[Taiwan]], and [[Chile]].<ref name="bbc-2016-05-29">{{cite news
 | title= Alma telescope peers into space from Chile's mountains
 | first = Gideon | last = Long
 | work = BBC News
 | url = https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-36357501
 | date = 29 May 2016
 | access-date = 29 May 2016
}}</ref> Costing about US$1.4&nbsp;billion, it is the most expensive ground-based telescope in operation.<ref name="eso-alma-inauguration">{{cite web
 | title = ALMA Inauguration Heralds New Era of Discovery
 | publisher = ESO - European Southern Observatory
 | date = 13 March 2013
 | url = http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1312/
 | access-date = 29 April 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 | last = Romero
 | first = Simon
 | title = At the End of the Earth, Seeking Clues to the Universe
 | work =The New York Times | date = 7 April 2012
 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/08/world/americas/high-in-chilean-desert-a-huge-astronomy-project.html
 | access-date = 8 April 2012}}</ref> ALMA began scientific observations in the second half of 2011 and the first images were released to the press on 3 October 2011. The array has been fully operational since March 2013.<ref>{{cite news|title=Alma telescope: Ribbon cut on astronomical giant|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21774448|publisher=BBC|access-date=13 March 2013|work=BBC News|date=2013-03-13|last1=Hernandez|first1=Vladimir}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1117/2.3201407.14| title = Pierre Cox plenary: ALMA Update| journal = SPIE Newsroom| year = 2014| last1 = Spie}}</ref>