IRAM 30-meter telescope, Radio telescope in Sierra Nevada, Spain
The IRAM 30-meter telescope is a radio telescope on Pico Veleta in the Sierra Nevada of southern Spain, built to receive millimeter-wave signals from space. The dish is 30 meters (about 98 feet) across and sits on a rotating mount that allows it to point at different parts of the sky.
The telescope was built in the early 1980s and opened in 1984, at a time when millimeter-wave radio astronomy was still a young field. It was set up by a European consortium involving France, Germany, and Spain, and has been running ever since.
The telescope sits on Pico Veleta, one of the highest drivable peaks in Europe, and belongs to a European research network called IRAM. Scientists from many countries come here to collect and share data on the same observations.
The site sits at about 9,350 feet (2,850 meters) above sea level, so expect cold temperatures and thinner air even in summer. Access to this part of the mountain is restricted to certain days, so checking ahead before making the trip is a good idea.
The telescope took part in the Event Horizon Telescope project in 2019, joining a global network of observatories that worked together to produce the first image of a black hole. The data collected here was key to sharpening that image.
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