Get a closer look of the universe - the galaxies, the moon and stars - with the world's biggest telescope, the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA).

The ALMA, which opened in Chile on Monday after ten years of planning and building, is described as the most powerful millimeter/submillimeter-wavelength telescope and the most complex ground-based observatory.

According to ALMA director Thijs de Graauw, the ALMA is the "world's most advanced radio telescope to see into the universe's coldest, darkest places, where galaxies and stars and perhaps the building blocks of life are created."

It is a joint project between Canada, Chile, the European Union, Japan, Taiwan and the United States.

The ALMA will be vital in helping scientists understand how galaxy collisions can trigger the birth of new stars, Graauw said, as it is like opening a new window on the submillimetre universe.

The £850million ALMA facility - funded by European, US and Asian agencies - has produced stunning images using 16 of its dishshaped antennae at the telescope on a high plateau in Chile's Atacama desert. However, images are expected to be sharper when all the 66 antennae are in place by 2013.

The ALMA will offer the best view of cold matter such as the dust clouds which condense to form stars, planets and galaxies. Astronomers will also be able to see formation of planets around distant stars, or a young star that may be forming up to a dozen Jupiter-sized planets.

Another area that scientists are looking into with the use of ALMA is the massive black hole at the center of our galaxy known as Sagittarius A.

According to Dr. John Richer, an astronomer, the ALMA will help them find stars like the sun and watch the formation of brand new solar systems.

While traditional telescopes detect visible light and heat, they cannot see through freezing clouds of dust and gas that absorb energy before it hits Earth. Thus, with the help of ALMA, scientists will now be able to see that part of the universe which is hidden by these dusts and gas.

One of ALMA's scientific operations astronomers, Dr Diego Garcia, described it as a "new golden age of astronomy".