Submillimeter Eagle Eyes on Mauna Kea
Thursday, November 20, 2008 - 14:35
in Astronomy & Space
(PhysOrg.com) -- Three observatories on Mauna Kea have come together to form the world's most powerful facility for detailed submillimeter imaging. An exploratory project, the Extended Submillimeter Array (eSMA) will explore the Universe using light that the human eye cannot see, at wavelengths around 0.8 millimeter. There are many objects in the sky that emit radiation in this submillimeter range, especially the dusty regions in which new stars, planets and even entire galaxies are being born. These clouds of gas and tiny dust particles are completely dark in visible light, but submillimeter waves can penetrate them.