the world's highest astronomical
observatory 'Atacama'
The University of Tokyo's Atacama
Observatory (TAO) is inaugurated.
It is now the highest astronomical
observatory in the world (elevation
of 18,500 feet), surpassing even the
famous Atacama Large Millimeter
Array (ALMA), which has an
altitude of 16,570 feet.
TAO is located at an altitude of
5,640 meters on the summit of
Cerro Chajnantor, a mountain in
the Atacama Desert in northern
Chile. Finally operational after 26
years of planning and construction.
Astronomer Yuzuru Yoshii has led
the TAO project as principle
investigator since 1998.
TAO's 6.5-meter telescope is
equipped with two science
instruments designed for
observations of infrared radiation.
SWIMS (Simultaneous-Color Wide-
field Infrared Multi-Object
Spectrograph) aims to understand
the evolution of galaxies.
MIMIZUKU (Mid-Infrared Multi-
field Imager for Exploring the
Unknown Universe): Used to study
planet formation and the origin of
materials.
TAO is built in a location where
there is less water vapor in the
atmosphere than any other
location on Earth. This region of the
spectrum is extremely good for
studying the atmospheres around
stars, including planet-forming
regions.
Square Kilometer Array
Observatory (SKAO)
The Square Kilometer Array
Observatory (SKAO) is an
international organization
responsible for the construction of
the world's largest radio telescope.
It is designed to study the
evolution of the universe and
answer deep questions about dark
matter, dark energy and the
formation of galaxies.
It will be composed of two large
telescope arrays deployed in South
Africa and Australia. Countries like
Britain, Australia, South Africa,
Canada, China, France, India, Italy
and Germany are involved in its
development. India has played an
important role in developing
telescope manager software.
