Spectacular Stargazing in Chile’s Atacama Desert
Spectacular Stargazing in Chile’s Atacama Desert
June 23 15:58 2015
by Giverny Masso
Learn about the wonders of the night sky with French astronomer Alain Maury.
SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA — The unpolluted, clear skies of the Atacama desert are ideal for stargazing. I found myself sleepily bundled into a minivan at 10 p.m. in the center of San Pedro, booked onto a S.P.A.C.E. tour with Alain Maury.
When we arrived at a remote spot in the desert, I looked up and the sky was full of details I had never previously been able to see. Alain’s wife, Alejandra, began the tour by highlighting constellations with a laser pen.
Shortly after, Alain took over. We learnt about the rotation of the sky from earth, the number of generations away the nearest star is, and why, when we look at the night sky, we are looking into the past. The french astronomer told us things we had heard before in different, exciting ways, as well as a huge amount of new and fascinating information.
I noted how genuine his enthusiasm was, as it would have been impossible to conduct these nightly tours with so much energy without having a real passion.
More:
http://www.ilovechile.cl/spectacular-stargazing-chiles-atacama-desert/