Last Sunday, May 29, Las Campanas Observatory (LCO) participated in the activity organized by the National Astronomical Observatory of the University of Chile, located in Cerro Calán (Las Condes, Metropolitan Region) for Heritage Day. Around 6,300 people attended the event. Thanks to the outreach alliance that LCO has with the Giant Magellan Observatory (GMT) and the EcoScience Foundation, in addition to an inclusive exhibition representing the planets, LCO took part with a unique mobile planetarium. Moreover, the inclusive group, Dedoscope joined the observatory to show touch-based tools to thousands of attendees that came to our booth and planetarium throughout the day.
“I loved going into the mobile planetarium because I could see many things about the sky. I learned a lot; I wish there were more days like this. I will miss going back. The truth is that I don’t want to leave here,” confessed Carolina (age 9) to Cerro Calán’s press.
The LCO exhibit consisted of an inclusive exhibit for visually impaired people, made of the backpack “Universe with All Senses” by the Planetarium of Medellín (Colombia) and the International Astronomical Union (IAU), which teaches about planets and scales in the Solar System. Alongside, the 3D printed reproductions of the Magellan telescopes of Las Campanas Observatory and touch-based displays representing the electromagnetic spectrum created by Dedoscopio. The mobile planetarium operated in parallel, and films about the Solar System and our galaxy, the Milky Way, were projected inside it.
In addition to LCO, GMT and Ecoscience, the ALMA Radio Observatory, NOIRLab/AURA, Mamalluca Astrotouristic Observatory, Amatista Travels, Roan Jasé Observatory, Pailalén Park, Pocuro Observatory (Calle Larga, Imagen de Chile, Club Astronómico Barrancas Cerro Navia), as well as several firms such as Editorial Planeta, Penguin Random House, Telescopios Chile, Ciencia Entretenida, Wanglen Store, Animahop, Desierto Arte and Cábala Producciones.
Other activities
LCO was also part of the conversation “Stellar Migrants”, part of the project with the same name financed by the National Fund for Cultural Development and the Arts and led by the Altura Patrimonio Foundation. This online conversation was about how astronomy guided the ancient navigators of Rapa Nui to know beyond the horizon.