A Wesleyan astronomer has just returned from a conference in Tokyo, Japan, where she discussed research from the ALMA space telescope -- a radio observatory partly funded by the National Science Foundation -- which is just finishing construction.
Speaking on WNPR's Where We Live, Meredith Hughes said ALMA, or Atacama Large Millimeter Array, is the radio astronomer's answer to the Hubble Space Telescope.
"Some of the first images that we've seen of these discs around young stars where planets are forming came from the Hubble Space Telescope, but the problem was that Hubble Space Telescope gets blocked by dust," Hughes said. "Now, with the ALMA observatory... we're actually seeing into the regions where planets are forming, and it's completely revolutionizing our view of how and when planets form around other stars."
Hughes said ALMA will allow radio astronomers to look at the types of environments where stars like the sun formed. It will even try to capture the first-ever image of a black hole -- a delicate operation that was recently profiled by PBS "Newshour."
The observatory, which is located in Chile, includes 66 antennas and will employ scientists from all around the world.
