the a.p.e.x. (the atacama pathfinder experiment) observatory in chile has a lovely 12 metre telescope sited approximately 5105 metres above sea-level.
its mandate is fairly broad:
"observing with apex will allow us to study warm and cold dust in starforming regions both in our own milky way and in distant galaxies in the young universe. high frequency spectral lines enable the exploration of the structure and chemistry of planetary atmospheres, dying stars, molecular clouds as well as inner regions of starburst galaxies. we will address issues from the vast scales of the structure of the Universe down to the physics and chemistry of comets."
what's really exciting is that a.p.e.x. has been doing research into the supermassive flares blasting out of the supermassive black hole at the centre of the milky way.
here's the article that's got space fans like me all excited! read it here!
here's the stunning image that has been assembled from a composite of three images.
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