Category Archives: News

LLAMAS commissioning successfully completed

The Large Lenslet Array Magellan Spectrograph (LLAMAS) is an Integral Field Spectrograph, an imaging tool by which astronomers extract properties of light, which, after 11 nights of work, was successfully installed on the 6.5-meter Baade telescope at the Carnegie Institution for Science’s Las Campanas Observatory, LCO. LLAMAS was developed by the MIT Kavli Institute for…

LCO was part of the First Congress of Astronomical Dissemination held in Chile

Between November 27 and 29, 2024, the first Astronomy Outreach Congress was held in Chile, which brought together professionals dedicated to making scientific knowledge known to different audiences through various formats. The meeting, organized by the National Outreach Coordinator (NOC), was attended by the Las Campanas Observatory (LCO) along with other institutions present in the…

Blackout for clear skies

By Daniela González Executive Director of Fundación Cielos de Chile On November 30, an unprecedented event illuminated the importance of protecting dark skies. The Algarrobo Route turned off its lights for an hour, allowing to measure the impact of light and raise awareness about the preservation of this valuable scientific heritage of the regions of…

We celebrate the month of science

In Chile, science and technology are celebrated during October, with various activities throughout the country with the purpose of creating opportunities for community participation and developing events that highlight the importance of science and technology in today’s society. LCO was once again part of these activities, beginning the celebrations with the ULS Science Week, an…

DECam Confirms that Early-Universe Quasar Neighborhoods are Indeed Cluttered

Observations using the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) confirm astronomers’ expectation that early-Universe quasars formed in regions of space densely populated with companion galaxies. DECam’s exceptionally wide field of view and special filters played a crucial role in reaching this conclusion, and the observations reveal why previous studies seeking to characterize the density of early-Universe quasar…

Initial stage of a supernova explosion seen from LCO

The supernova is a spectacular event in the universe, representing the final stage in the life of a massive star. Having exhausted its nuclear fuel, the star can no longer hold up against its gravity, resulting in a catastrophic collapse and an explosion that releases an enormous amount of energy, outshining its host galaxy for…

We celebrate Heritage Day in Chile

On May 25 and 26, 2024, Heritage Day was celebrated in Chile, which seeks to promote interaction with the diverse cultural expressions and historical resources that exist in the country. Las Campanas Observatory, LCO, was part of this great cultural activity, carrying out two activities in the Metropolitan Region. The first was a discussion about…

Serge Brunier; NASA

Some of the oldest stars were found in our galaxy

MIT researchers, including several undergraduates, have discovered three of the oldest stars in the Universe, those living in our own galactic neighborhood. This research was conducted using data obtained with the Clay telescope, one of the Magellan twins at the Carnegie Institution for Science’s Las Campanas Observatory. The team discovered the stars in the Milky…