I recently returned from a 9-day trip to Chile — one of more than 30 participants in a tour sponsored by Astronomy magazine and organized by MWT Associates. We all had a great time, despite long plane rides from the States down to Santiago. Our two main reasons for going were to experience the clear skies of the Atacama Desert and the giant telescopes at Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory, but plenty of other sites kept us busy. Last week I wrote about the stunning scenery and beautiful sunset at the Valley of the Moon. This week we reach our journey's ultimate destination: Cerro Tololo.
Despite a late night spent observing on Thursday, August 1, we were up before dawn on Friday. We had a long day of travel in front of us: a bus ride from San Pedro de Atacama to Calama, followed by a plane ride to Santiago, and then a second plane ride to La Serena. We arrived in the middle of the afternoon. After spending the previous several days in the driest desert on Earth, it was a pleasure to feel the gentle, humid breezes of the Pacific Ocean.
Just before dinner that night, we watched the Sun set in the Pacific. Alas, no one saw a green flash as the Sun's upper limb dipped into the sea. After dinner, a few of us drove outside the city for some impromptu observing. The Magellanic Clouds and the southern Milky Way — along with the crystal-clear skies — continued to delight us.
Saturday had us driving back into the mountains, this time to visit Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory. The highlight of the visit was our time spent inside the dome of the 4-meter telescope. When it was completed in the mid-1970s, it was the largest telescope south of the equator, and it remained so for more than 20 years. For decades, the best views of the southern sky's wonders passed through this massive scope's optics.
Seeing the 4-meter made us all feel a little like kids in a candy store. (Imagine what it would have been like to actually view the sky through it!) And that wasn't all we saw. We got an inside look at the observatory's 1.5-meter scope, as well as time to spend wandering among the domes and marveling at the scenic Andes.
That evening, we visited the Mamalluca Observatory, a site set aside for amateur astronomers to view the Chilean sky. Guides showed us Jupiter, the Magellanic Clouds, and several Milky Way clusters and nebulae through a variety of scopes. Unfortunately, the waxing crescent Moon was then about one-third lit, and its light, as well as light from the nearby city of Vicuña, meant the views weren't as phenomenal as those we had earlier in the week.
Still, it was a splendid day to wrap up our tour of Chile. We all brought back memories that will be hard to beat — although I'm sure we'll try. Perhaps next year, when Astronomy heads to Russia for the total solar eclipse?