Current Affairs

ALMA Telescope Update 2023 march


ALMA telescope is to get a new brain. The ALMA is set to get a  tackle and software upgrade for the collection of  further data and produce sharper images. The upgrades are estimated to cost 37 million USD. These upgrades will be made over 5 years. 

ALMA telescope upgrade :-

The correlator and the supercomputer in the ALMA telescope will be replaced. The correlator and supercomputer in the telescope function as a single unit. The unit gets input from the antennas and helps the astronomers in producing high- quality images. 

 Why was the ALMA telescope upgraded:-

The correlators and the supercomputer units in the ALMA are one of the fastest supercomputer units in the world. The units are being replaced to increase the  functional speed of ALMA. In the coming ten times, the speed is to be doubled and will be quadrupled  ultimately. 

 What's the ALMA telescope:-

The Atacama Large Millimetre/ submillimetre Array is a  slice- edge radio telescope featuring 66 high-  perfection antennas. It spans a distance of over to 16 km. This telescope is  positioned in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. It studies dim and distant  worlds and stars using millimetre and submillimetre wavelengths that can access through dust  shadows. 

 Who operates the ALMA telescope:-

 It's operated by a  cooperation among the USA, 16 European countries, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Chile. It has been  performing since 2013. It has been necessary in the discovery of starburst  worlds and dust  conformation inside  winner 1987A among others.  

Why is ALMA located in the Atacama desert:-

The telescope is located at a height of,570  bases. It's essential to  insulate the telescope from worldly noises. This is because; the telescope observes  swells that are in the range of millimetres andsub-millimetres. These  swells are  largely susceptible indeed to the water vapours in the earth’s atmosphere! The Atacama Desert is the driest place in the world. And the nights are clear then.  

Notable discoveries made by ALMA :-

The telescope  handed detailed images of protoplanetary discs around HL Tauri. It's a star in the Taurus constellation. It's 450 light times down from the earth.   In 2015, ALMA discovered a  miracle called “ Einstein Rings ”. This occurs when the light from a massive  world is  dammed by a massive object on its way to the earth.

ALMA Telescope  Update 2023 march