ChileTAO Observatory is situated on a mountain peak that is 5,640 meters high and is equipped with a 6.5-meter diameter telescope to aid in observing the universe using infrared rays. The University of Tokyo’s Atacama Observatory, or TAO, has officially opened and is now the tallest observatory on Earth. The project was conceived 26 years ago with the aim of studying the evolution of galaxies and exoplanets. It is located on the Cerro Chajnantor mountain peak in the Chilean Andes at an altitude of 5,640 meters, surpassing the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) telescope system, which is situated at an altitude of 5,050 meters.
The name Cerro Chajnantor means “place of departure” in the Kunza language of the indigenous Likan Antai community. The region’s high altitude, thin air, and arid climate make it inhospitable for humans, but it is an ideal setting for infrared telescopes like the TAO due to the necessity of low humidity for precision observations. Infrared telescopes operate effectively in areas where the Earth’s atmosphere is transparent at infrared wavelengths, making Cerro Chajnantor an excellent location for the TAO.
The 6.5-meter diameter telescope at TAO includes two scientific instruments designed for observing the universe using infrared rays. The first instrument, SWIMS, is intended to image galaxies from the early universe to gain insights into how they formed from primordial dust and gas. The second instrument, MIMIZUKU, focuses on studying primordial dust disks that contributed to the formation of stars and galaxies. Researchers at the University of Tokyo, including graduate student Riko Senoo and researcher Masahiro Konishi, express hope that TAO will enable astronomers to make unexpected discoveries and advance our understanding of the universe.