Working together, the separate ALMA telescopes become one giant telescope up to 11 miles (16 km) across. That's a huge, light-gathering eyeball!

At that size, ALMA will pinpoint small, hidden details deep inside galaxies or giant star forming regions, making it one of the most powerful telescopes ever made.

In the heart of the array will sit the 16 East Asian MELCO telescopes working together like one telescope of 492 feet (150 m) across. This compact array will map the bigger picture, making certain that ALMA never misses the forest for the trees.