Astronomers use this light to study the chemical and physical conditions in these molecular clouds - the dense regions of gas and cosmic dust where new stars are being born. It is ideal for studying the "cold Universe": light at these wavelengths shines from vast cold clouds in interstellar space, at temperatures only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero.
Submillimetre astronomy is a relatively unexplored frontier in astronomy and reveals a Universe that cannot be seen in the more familiar visible or infrared light. APEX is based on a prototype antenna constructed for the ALMA project, and it will find many targets that ALMA will be able to study in great detail.ĪPEX is a collaboration between the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR, 55%), the Onsala Space Observatory (OSO, 13%), and ESO (32%). LABOCA's high sensitivity, together with its wide field of view (one third of the diameter of the full Moon), make it an invaluable tool for imaging the submillimetre Universe.ĪPEX was a pathfinder for ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, a revolutionary new telescope that ESO, together with its international partners, operates on the Chajnantor plateau.
In order to be able to detect the tiny temperature changes caused by the faint submillimetre radiation, each of these thermometers is cooled to less than 0.3 degrees above absolute zero - a frigid minus 272.85 degrees Celsius. With almost 300 pixels, it is the largest such camera in the world. LABOCA uses an array of extremely sensitive thermometers - known as bolometers - to detect submillimetre light.
It has a suite of different instruments for astronomers to use in their observations, a major one being LABOCA, the Large APEX Bolometer Camera. APEXcam LIVE ( Webcam | 08:42 CEST) A Tour at the Chajnantor PlateauĬlick on the image to take a Virtual Tour in and nearby Chajnantor.ĪPEX is the largest submillimetre-wavelength telescope operating in the southern hemisphere.
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