Astronomer Michael R. Blanton will join Carnegie Observatories as its 12th director, leading both astronomical research in Pasadena and telescope operations at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile, recognized worldwide as one of the most exceptional observation sites on the planet. Blanton comes from New York University (NYU), where he is Professor of Physics and Director…
On November 21, groups of high school students from different regions of the country gathered at the University of Concepción to participate in the 13th School Astronomy Congress, organized by the Millennium Nucleus Titans and the UdeC Astronomy Department. In this new edition, Las Campanas Observatory (LCO) once again played a leading role as part…
On Friday, November 7, 2025, Las Campanas Observatory held a moving ceremony to bid farewell to eight members of its staff who retired during the month of October. Each of them has been an essential part of the collective history that brings the observatory to life. Throughout their careers, they trained new generations, inspired their…
Young stars often exhibit variations in brightness associated with their formation process. Just as human babies cry intensely and unexpectedly, these “baby stars” experience sudden bursts that cause them to shine much brighter than usual. Thanks to observations made with telescopes in Chile—in particular with the Magellan telescopes at Las Campanas Observatory and the Very…
Digital platform offers a 360° reconstruction of the Valparaíso building, as well as downloadable educational guides aligned with the school curriculum, with the aim of bringing history closer to students, teachers, and the general public. One of the collaborating institutions is the Las Campanas Observatory. A new project rescues the history of Chile’s first professional…
This initiative involves the installation of an educational telescope at the Las Campanas Observatory, owned by Carnegie Science, which will enable advanced research, training for university students, and community activities. A signing ceremony attended by officials from Carnegie Science and Andrés Bello University sealed a collaboration agreement that will allow UNAB to install an astronomy…
The WISPIT 2 system as seen by the Magellan Telescope in Chile and the Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona. The protoplanet WISPIT 2b appears as a purple dot in a dust-free gap between a bright, white dust ring around the star and a fainter, outer ring, orbiting at about 56 times the average distance between…
An international team of astronomers, led by the University of Chicago, has identified a new metal-poor star in the halo of the Milky Way. The discovery was made possible with the help of data from the Gaia satellite and the 6.5-meter Magellan Clay telescope, installed at the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile, whose resolving power…
Graced with clear, dark skies and an exceedingly arid climate, Chile’s Atacama Desert boasts astronomical “seeing” that is the best in the world. It has become a mecca for stargazers with more than 20 observatories dotting its austere landscape. Over 50 years ago, Carnegie astronomers chose to build an observatory in the Atacama—the institution’s Las…
July 3, 2025 — In a day marked by dialogue and collaboration, the Governor of the Coquimbo Region, Cristóbal Juliá, together with representatives of the Regional Council, visited the facilities of Las Campanas Observatory and the site where the future Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) is under construction, located at Cerro Las Campanas on the border…
