The World’s Highest Astronomical Site, Tokyo Atacama Observatory, Opens in Chilean Andes
The Japanese University of Tokyo Atacama Observatory (TAO) has officially opened its doors on Cerro Chajnantor mountain in the Chilean Andes, making it the world’s highest astronomical site at an impressive 5,640 meters (18,500 feet) above sea level. The observatory, which was conceptualized 26 years ago, aims to study the evolution of galaxies and exoplanets.
Located at a higher altitude than even the renowned Atacama Large Millimeter Array, TAO is an ideal spot for infrared telescopes due to its high altitude, sparse atmosphere, and arid climate. The construction of the telescope on Mt. Chajnantor was a challenging process, involving collaboration with indigenous communities, the Chilean government, local universities, and the Chilean Health Ministry to ensure safety.
TAO’s 6.5-meter telescope is equipped with two science instruments, SWIMS and MIMIZUKU, designed to observe the universe in infrared and study galaxies from the early universe and primordial disks of dust where stars and galaxies form. Researchers are hopeful that TAO will lead to unexpected discoveries that challenge current understanding and help explain mysteries of the universe.
Before TAO, miniTAO, a 1-meter telescope, operated on the same mountaintop and received the Guinness World Record for the highest astronomical observatory on Earth in 2011. Images captured by miniTAO of the Milky Way’s center revealed a dense collection of stars and a cluster of massive young stars.
On-site work for TAO began in 2006 with the paving of the first access road to the summit and the installation of a weather monitor. As the observatory embarks on its mission to uncover the secrets of the cosmos, astronomers and researchers around the world are eagerly anticipating the groundbreaking discoveries that TAO will unveil.
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