| Atacama Pathfinder Experiment |
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Information AboutAtacama Pathfinder Experiment |
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| radio telescopes | |
| astronomical observatories in chile | |
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The Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) is a Radio Telescope located at 5,100 meters above sea level, at Llano De Chajnantor Observatory in the Atacama Desert , in northern Chile , 50 kilometers to the north of San Pedro De Atacama . The APEX telescope is a modified ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter Array) prototype antenna and is located at the future site of the ALMA observatory. It is designed to work at sub-millimetre wavelengths, in the 0.2 to 1.5 mm range. The main dish has a diameter of 12 meters and consists of 264 aluminium panels with an average surface accuracy of 17 micrometres (r.m.s.). APEX is a collaboration between the Max-Planck-Institute For Radio Astronomy (MPIfR) at 50%, Onsala Space Observatory (OSO) at 23%, and the European Organisation For Astronomical Research In The Southern Hemisphere (ESO) at 27%. The telescope was designed and constructed by VERTEX Antennentechnik GmbH ( Germany ), under contract by MPIfR, and is based on a prototype antenna constructed for the ALMA project. Operation of APEX in Chajnantor is entrusted to ESO. APEX was officially inaugurated on September 25th, 2005. EXTERNAL LINK |