Space mountain [submillimeter radio telescopes]

September 2005 marked the inauguration of the largest submillimeter radio telescope in the southern hemisphere. Known as the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX), the new telescope is located in the Chilean Andes. The telescope is designed to peer through interstellar clouds and consists of 264 polished aluminum panels, forming a near perfect parabolic dish. The telescope will eventually be run remotely from the APEX base camp in San Pedro de Atacama. A microwave link allows downloading of data and uploading of instructions for the telescope.