Submillimeter astronomy is a research area focused on observing electromagnetic radiation at wavelengths between the far-infrared and millimeter regimes (roughly 0.1–1 mm), where cold dust, molecular gas, and cosmic microwave background–related processes emit strongly. It probes physical conditions in dense interstellar clouds, star-forming regions, circumstellar disks, and high-redshift galaxies via rotational transitions of molecules (e.g., CO) and thermal dust emission. The field relies on high-sensitivity, high-angular-resolution instruments such as bolometer arrays and heterodyne receivers, typically deployed on high, dry sites or space platforms to mitigate atmospheric water vapor absorption.
Astronomers using the U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) instruments, the U.S. National Science Foundation Very Large Array (NSF VLA) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter ...
Astronomy
Jan 11, 2026
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Have you ever found something unexpected in your hamburger? Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) were surprised to discover the very earliest phases of giant planet formation between the ...
Astronomy
Jan 6, 2026
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By analyzing the archival data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an international team of astronomers has inspected the outflow of a nearby galaxy known as NGC 1266. Results of the new study, presented ...
Researchers from Yunnan University, the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory (SHAO) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan have unveiled new insights into the fragmentation mechanisms ...
Astronomy
Dec 22, 2025
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The Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) in the Chilean Andes is one of the most powerful radio telescope facilities in the world. Researchers use it to study dark and distant regions of the universe in order ...
Astronomy
Dec 16, 2025
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Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an international team of astronomers has inspected a distant galaxy designated MACS0416_Y1. Results of the observations, presented Nov. 11 on the arXiv pre-print ...
A new dataset from the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) is now publicly available, opening the door for scientists worldwide to make discoveries in one of the richest molecular clouds in our galaxy, TMC-1.
Astronomy
Oct 23, 2025
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Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA), an international team of astronomers has carried out comprehensive multiwavelength observations of a distant massive ...
An international team of astronomers has used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to observe a well-known quasar known as the Cloverleaf. As part of the observations, they serendipitously discovered a ...
Astronomers have captured the clearest picture yet of how massive stars are born, revealing a dramatic interplay between gravity and magnetic fields in some of our galaxy's most dynamic star forming regions. A team led by ...
Astronomy
Oct 8, 2025
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