IRAM 30-m
Encyclopedia
The IRAM 30-m Millimeter Radio Telescope is a radio telescope
for astronomical observations in the millimeter range of wavelengths, operated by the Institute for Radio Astronomy in the Millimeter Range (IRAM)
) and located on the Sierra Nevada
, in Spain
, close to the Pico Veleta peak. It is the largest millimeter telescope in the world after the Large Millimeter Telescope
. Each year more than 200 scientists from all over the world visit this observatory to explore the universe at millimeter wavelengths, with interests going from our Solar System
to interstellar dust
and gas
or cosmology
.
Radio telescope
A radio telescope is a form of directional radio antenna used in radio astronomy. The same types of antennas are also used in tracking and collecting data from satellites and space probes...
for astronomical observations in the millimeter range of wavelengths, operated by the Institute for Radio Astronomy in the Millimeter Range (IRAM)
Institut de radioastronomie millimétrique
The Institut de radioastronomie millimétrique operates two observatories for radio astronomy at millimeter wavelengths, which are open to the international astronomical community: the 30-m single-dish radio telescope located on Pico Veleta in the Spanish Sierra Nevada , and the six-antenna...
) and located on the Sierra Nevada
Sierra Nevada (Spain)
The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range in the region of provinces of Granada and Almería in Spain. It contains the highest point of continental Spain, Mulhacén at 3478 m above sea level....
, in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, close to the Pico Veleta peak. It is the largest millimeter telescope in the world after the Large Millimeter Telescope
Large Millimeter Telescope
The Large Millimeter Telescope was inaugurated in Mexico on 22 November 2006. It is the world's largest and most sensitive single-aperture telescope in its frequency range, built for observing radio waves in the wave lengths from approximately 0.85 to 4 mm...
. Each year more than 200 scientists from all over the world visit this observatory to explore the universe at millimeter wavelengths, with interests going from our Solar System
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
to interstellar dust
Cosmic dust
Cosmic dust is a type of dust composed of particles in space which are a few molecules to 0.1 µm in size. Cosmic dust can be further distinguished by its astronomical location; for example: intergalactic dust, interstellar dust, interplanetary dust and circumplanetary dust .In our own Solar...
and gas
Interstellar medium
In astronomy, the interstellar medium is the matter that exists in the space between the star systems in a galaxy. This matter includes gas in ionic, atomic, and molecular form, dust, and cosmic rays. It fills interstellar space and blends smoothly into the surrounding intergalactic space...
or cosmology
Cosmology
Cosmology is the discipline that deals with the nature of the Universe as a whole. Cosmologists seek to understand the origin, evolution, structure, and ultimate fate of the Universe at large, as well as the natural laws that keep it in order...
.