During July of this year, researchers from the Center for Research in Nuclear Physics and Neutron Spectroscopy, CCHEN, visited the Las Campanas Observatory, LCO, with the purpose of finding relationships between the energy of the background neutrons with the local variables of the place where the observatory is located, in the Atacama region. These variables…
By Daniela González E. Executive Director Fundación Cielos de Chile The decree that establishes the new areas with scientific and research value for astronomical observation is a milestone not only for the astronomical community, but also paves the way for Chile to consolidate itself as the eyes of the world towards the universe. Among the…
On June 27, 2023, the decree that identifies areas with scientific and research value for astronomical observation was published in Chile’s official newspaper. In addition, the country’s new illumination standard, which extends protection from three regions to the entire territory, is expected to be published soon. The above, together, seek to reduce light pollution both…
In the early universe, the gas between stars and galaxies was opaque – energetic starlight could not penetrate it. But 1 billion years after the big bang, the gas had become completely transparent. Why? New data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has pinpointed the reason: The galaxies’ stars emitted enough light to heat and…
In the past, the inhabitants of Oceania faced the sea with confidence because they learned to know and interpret it. They did this by developing a navigation system based mainly on the stars, which marked the position of the islands on the horizon, in addition to other calculations related to ocean currents and wind direction.…
For the first time in history, scientists observed a dying star swallowing a planet, according to a publication in the journal Nature. Several telescopes were used in the investigation, including LCO’s Magellan twins. Astronomers have recorded for the first time the absorption of a giant exoplanet by a Sun-like star. Such events can occur several…
For the third consecutive year, Las Campanas Observatory of the Carnegie Institution for Science, LCO, was part of the Science Walk of the Puerto de Ideas Festival, which takes place every year during April in Antofagasta, Chile. More than 7,000 people participated in this version, between Thursday 20 and Sunday 24. The 2023 edition corresponds…
Since 2014, when autumn begins in the southern hemisphere, Astronomy Day is celebrated in Chile to celebrate the equinox. The event is promoted by the Planetarium Foundation of the University of Santiago de Chile, the Chilean Astronomy Society (SOCHIAS) and the Public Science Program of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation. This year…
The carbon footprint of astronomical research facilities has become a critical issue in recent years. Its measurement, in terms of carbon dioxide equivalent, CO2e, serves to understand the behavior of these organizations and their individuals and, in this way, efficiently manage resources. The carbon footprint of astronomical operations, in general, is dominated by the gases…
eROSITA telescope finds an X-ray bright, optically faint quasar accreting material at an extremely high rate only about 800 million years after the big bang. The latter, confirmed through observations with the Magellan telescopes of the Las Campanas Observatory. Supermassive black holes at the centres of galaxies can be detected out to great distances –…
