Los múltiples ojos de ALMA
¿Cómo "ve" realmente un radiotelescopio? Para averiguarlo, en esta Imagen de la Semana vamos a echar un vistazo al interior de una de las antenas de ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array). ALMA, del que ESO es socio, tiene su base en lo alto de la meseta de Chajnantor, en los Andes chilenos, y está compuesta por 66 antenas, todas ellas utilizadas para observar los rincones más fríos del Universo.
En primer lugar, la gran antena parabólica recoge la luz, que se redirige hacia el reflector secundario que podemos ver en primer plano. Desde allí, pasa por una de las varias ventanas circulares que se ven en el centro de esta imagen. Cada ventana conduce a un receptor, un dispositivo que registra la luz recogida por la antena. Las antenas de ALMA están equipadas con 10 receptores, cada uno de los cuales capta luz en diferentes longitudes de onda, dependiendo de lo que los astrónomos y astrónomas quieran observar.
La luz que se capta tiene longitudes de onda de alrededor de un milímetro, más larga que la longitud de onda de la luz visible. Así, mientras que las ventanas de los receptores parecen opacas a nuestros ojos, son transparentes a la radiación que observa ALMA. Pero, ¿por qué son necesarias estas ventanas?
Los receptores deben estar aislados dentro de un criostato que los enfríe a -269 °C, solo 4 grados por encima del cero absoluto. Esto minimiza la cantidad de calor que emiten, ya que, de no ser así, el calor que generan dificultaría la capacidad de ALMA para detectar la radiación muy débil proveniente de objetos cósmicos fríos, como nubes de gas y polvo donde se forman nuevas estrellas.
Crédito:S. Otarola/ESO
Sobre la imagen
| Identificador: | potw2517a |
| Idioma: | es |
| Tipo: | Fotográfico |
| Fecha de publicación: | 28 de Abril de 2025 a las 06:00 |
| Tamaño: | 4020 x 6036 px |
Sobre el objeto
| Nombre: | ALMA AOS |
| Tipo: | Unspecified : Technology : Observatory : Telescope |
Formatos de imagen
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