Hubble Ultra Deep Field animation

APOD August 27 2013

Unique space travel at the beginning of time!

ALMA strike: everyday life of astronomers

Image ESO/Picture of the week

August 23, 2013

"The union's president, Victor Gonzalez, said nearly 200 workers at the Alma observatory had gone on strike to demand a 15% pay rise after failing to reach agreement with Associated Universities Inc (AUI), their US employers.

The workers endure difficult living conditions and are exposed to strong winds, thin air and severe temperature drops.
...
The 194 striking workers are technicians and administrators and do not include scientists.

Alma's antennas are in a remote part of the Atacama desert 5,200 metres above sea level.

The dryness and low interference from other radio signals create some of the best conditions for observing the night sky.

The observatory is funded by the European Union, the United States, Canada, Taiwan and Japan."

Read the entire article from BBC News

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