Category Archives: News

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…

LCO did outreach activities in Texas to educate about eclipses

Together with Carnegie Science and the Perot Museum, Las Campanas Observatory gave talks and held massive workshops to educate the community about the total solar eclipse visible on April 8, 2024, in addition to teaching about the associated science and the precautions associated with its observation. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon, following its…

LCO celebrates the Chilean Astronomy Day

Last March 23, 2024, close to a thousand people visited the offices of Las Campanas Observatory (LCO) in La Serena to celebrate Astronomy Day in Chile. This event was organized by LCO, with the collaboration of the Universidad Central, the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMTO), the Fundación Cielos de Chile, the Navegantes Estelares project and NothOptics.…

Carnegie’s jewel in the Southern Hemisphere: LCO

Chile is known worldwide for the quality of its dark skies, which, being located over the Atacama Desert, the most arid non-polar place on the planet, remain clear and stable. For this reason, it is currently an astronomical power due to the fact that nearly 40% of the infrastructure created to study the Universe is…