Looking for the origins of the universe in one of Earth's least habitable places (photos)

This panoramic view of the Chajnantor plateau, spanning about 180 degrees from north (on the left) to south (on the right) shows the antennas of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), described in this article, in northern Chile. In the foreground, are the 12-metre diameter ALMA antennas, working as one giant telescope, and on the far left are a cluster of smaller 7-metre antennas for ALMA’s compact array. (European Southern Observatory (ESO)/B. Tafreshi)