On August 3, Mayor Sandra Berna of San Pedro de Atacama visited the NAOJ Mitaka campus and toured the ALMA Building, Advanced Technology Center (ATC), and 4D2U Dome Theater.

San Pedro de Atacama is an oasis town with a population of about 2500 people which is located 30 km away from the ALMA Operations Support Facility (OSF). The Joint ALMA Office (JAO), which operates the ALMA Telescope, has been promoting exchanges with the local community through dispatching English teachers and holding occasional lectures on astronomy. Her visit to NAOJ is a part of these exchange activities.

The picture shows Mayor Sandra Berna of San Pedro de Atacama (second left) listening to the explanation on the ALMA Band 8 receiver developed by NAOJ from Professr Ken’ichi Tatematsu of NAOJ (right) and Assistant Professor Daniel Espada of NAOJ (second right). [Written and photographed by Masaaki Hiramatsu]