Atacama Overview
Astronomy
The Northern skies of Chile are famous for being some of the clearest in the World. The combination of an extremely dry climate, high altitude and the distance from any source of environmental pollution makes them a perfect and clear window into the Universe.
The Atacama Desert has been an important center for astronomic investigation since the opening of the Las Campanas – Du Pont observatory near La Serena in 1977.
Other research centers in the area are Paranal, close to Antofagasta and an upcoming project that will include the construction of the world’s largest observatory; A.L.M.A (Atacama Large Millimeter Array) that begins operating in 2012. Once completed, A.L.M.A will have 10 times more spatial resolution than the Hubble space telescope.
A.L.M.A.’s complement is Cornell Caltech Telescope, another large project that will be constructed in the Chajnator mountain and it will be focused on the process of galaxy formation.
The experience of viewing the Atacama skies is truly impressive, visible even with the naked eye.
Orion, Betelgeuse and Aldebaran during the summer months, and in wintertime, we have great views of the Scorpio constellation with Antares and of the Tucan 47 constellation among others.
Man has always been fascinated by the majesty and depth of outer space and Atacama is the perfect place to witness and ponder the structure of our local and distant universe.
