World's most complex telescope takes first pictures of deepest space

This is the remarkable first picture taken by the new $1.3 billion radio telescope sitting high in the Chilean Andes.

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, shortened to the 'ALMA radio telescope', took a snap of the Antennae Galaxies from South America.

The telescope is now officially open and ready to explore the universe after years of planning and constructing the massive observatory it sits in alongside some of the world’s most complex ground-based telescopes.

The ALMA radio telescope has taken its first photograph of the Antennae Galaxies from the observatory in Chile (pictured)

North American ALMA project manager at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Charlottesville, Virginia, Mark McKinnon, told Space.com: We went to one of the most extreme locations on Earth to build the world’s largest array of millimetre/submillimeter telescopes, having a level of technical sophistication that was merely a dream only a decade ago.’

‘This truly is a great occasion.’

The amazing shot of the Antennae Galaxies (otherwise known as NGC 4038 and 4039) shows the pair of interacting galaxies in the constellation Corvus.

The galaxies are around 70 million light-years away and were captured by ALMA using two different wavelength ranges.

Desert location: ALMA radio telescope sits in the Chajnantor plateau, in Chile's Atacama desert, some 1500 km north of Santiago

ALMA's antennas: Each of its 66 antennas will be used to detect extremely cold objects, such as gas clouds formed by stars and planets

Researchers released the early image, shot during testing phases, to show off ALMA's capabilities but say images in the future will be better quality and sharper.

The 40ft radio telescope sits on the Chajnator plateau in the Atacama desert, some 1500 km north of Santiago, at an elevation of 16,500 ft.

Each of ALMA’s 66 antennas will be used to detect extremely cold objects, such as gas clouds formed by stars and planets, researchers said.

Joint project: ALMA is an international partnership project of Europe, North America and East Asia, with the cooperation of Chile

This is possible because its antennas each pick up light at a range around 1,000 times longer than visible-light wavelengths – known as millimetre/submillimeter range.

ALMA’s deputy project scientist during construction, Alison Peck, told the science site: ‘With millimetre and submillimeter waves, we can watch planet formation, investigate astrochemistry and detect the light that is finally reaching us from the universe’s earliest galaxies.’

ALMA is an international partnership project of Europe, North America and East Asia, with the cooperation of Chile, and is presently the largest astronomical project in the world.