The ACES (ALMA Central Molecular Zone Exploration Survey) large collaborative program led in part by members of the Milky Way Laboratory has been accepted with priority grade A in ALMA Cycle 8! This large program will begin observations in the next few months and will provide the most comprehensive image of our Galaxy’s center in submillimeter wavelengths ever, mapping the entire central 100 pc of our Galaxy down to sub-pc size scales.

ACES will derive the gas properties from cloud scales down to the size scale of individual forming stars across the inner 100pc of the Galaxy. This will address fundamental open questions in star formation and galaxy formation/evolution, providing a new benchmark for understanding how the mass flows and energy cycles shape the centers of galaxies, regulate star formation and control the activity of the central supermassive black holes.

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