ALMA super-telescope and the Chinese asterisms

A reticle -  a scientific instrument used to measure star positions

The Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA, Spanish for "soul") is an array of radio telescopes in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. Since a high and dry site is crucial to millimeter wavelength operations, the array has been constructed on the Chajnantor plateau at 5000 metres altitude. Consisting of 66 12-meter and 7-meter diameter radio telescopes observing at millimeter and sub-millimeter wavelengths, ALMA is expected to provide insight on star birth during the early universe and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation.

The initial ALMA array will be composed of 66 high-precision antennas, and operate at wavelengths of 0.3 to 9.6 mm. The array will have much higher sensitivity and higher resolution than existing sub-millimeter telescopes such as the single-dish James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. The antennas can be moved across the desert plateau over distances from 150 m to 16 km, which will give ALMA a powerful variable "zoom", similar in its concept to that employed at the Very Large Array (VLA) site in New Mexico, US.The high sensitivity is mainly achieved through the large numbers of telescopes that will make up the array.

On March 12  astronomy’s newest, biggest, most powerful stargazing machine was formally dedicated, after more than a year of preliminary operations.

Regular readers would be aware that the effect of eclipses lasts for a very long time. They continue to effect events long after they are gone. Shown above is the chart for the June 4, 2012 lunar eclipse at Atacama. Notice that the luminaries occupy the horizon axis and therefore are very significant for the place. Iota Tauri [16ge57] which is on the Ascendant was part of the ancient Chinese asterism T’ien Kaou, the Celestial Look-out Tower. Sigma Tauri [10ge43] was Fou-Eul, the Listener or the Celestial Ear. This star along with the Pleaides was seen as the eyes and ears of the sky. [1]

 The New Moon of March 11, 2013 fell at 21pi24  - on the MC of the eclipse chart and served to activate it. The star Beta Reticuli in the constellation Reticulum is at 21pi23 – the optic eyepiece!

Reticulum means a netlike formation or structure; a network. A reticle was a scientific instrument used to measure star positions, a grid of fine lines in the focus of an optical instrument, used for determining the scale or position of what is being looked at. [2]

[1] Secrets of the Ancient Skies, Diana K. Rosenberg (v.1. p.696)

[2]http://www.constellationsofwords.com/Constellations/Reticulum.htm