In the mountains of Chile I experienced the brightest night sky I’ve ever seen. We normally seek dark skies for astronomy, but here the sky is so dark and clear that it seems ablaze with stars. The Milky Way overhead is so brilliant it seems to cast shadows. It is a sight so humbling it’s difficult to put into words.

The Chilean sky with the Zodiacal light in the background. Photo by Peter Detterline

Chile resides in a “sweet spot” for modern astronomy. Steady winds from the Pacific ensure skies relatively free from turbulence, and Chile’s arid mountain range provides plenty of crystal clear nights. Combined with the Chilean government’s efforts to limit light pollution, you have the makings of excellent astronomy. While professional astronomy has been active in Chile for decades, the recent surge of “big astronomy” projects such as the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) has led to a rapid growth of astronomy in the region.

There’s also been interest in promoting these efforts to the general public, which is why I had the opportunity to visit the region. Along with eight others I was selected to be part of a National Science Foundation project known as the Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassador Program (ACEAP). The goal of the project is to bring educators to Chile to get a first-hand look at several observatories so that they can tell people about their experience. Saying yes to the offer was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever made.

The ACEAP Team. Clockwise starting from far left: Ryan Hannahoe, Petter Detterline, Jim O’Leary, Michael Prokosch, Sergio Cabezon, Brian Koberlein, Renae Kerrigan, Vivian White, Charles Blue, Sarah Komperud and Shannon Schmoll. Photo by Tim Spuck.

Our trip took us from the capital city of Santiago to La Serena (near Gemini and CTIO), then north to the Atacama where ALMA is located. One of the things we noticed early on was a strong interest in amateur astronomy. Santiago’s surrounding mountains ensure that the city can be troubled by smog at times, but it also means you don’t have to travel far from the city to reach dark skies. As a result, there are several “tourist” observatories in the region.

At Cerro Mayu Observatory the artwork is astronomically aligned. Photo by Mike Prokosch.

These observatories tend to integrate artwork and astronomy in fascinating ways, whether it’s the inviting space of Observatorio Astronomico Andio, or the astronomically-aligned Cerro Mayu Observatory. They also aren’t limited to metropolitan regions. In the small town of San Pedro in the heart of the Atacama desert you could find street vendors selling tours of the night sky.

Of course it’s the big telescopes that dominate in Chile. By 2020 more than two thirds of the world’s astronomical infrastructure will be in Chile. Four our trip we focused on just three sites: Gemini South and SOAR on Cerro Pachón outside of La Serena, CTIO on nearby Cerro Tololo, and ALMA in the Atacama desert near San Pedro.

Approaching Gemini South. Photo by Peter Detterline.

Standing in front of the Gemini South mirror. Photo by Sarah Komperud.

Gemini South is an 8-meter telescope that has been in operation since 2000. It uses adaptive optics to gather clear images in the visible and near infrared. It’s name derives from the fact that it has a northern twin on Mauna Kea in Hawaii. As Gemini South maps the southern skies, Gemini North maps the northern skies. Together they cover almost the entire sky. Their specialty is observing the spectra of astronomical objects using both long-slit spectroscopy and integral field spectroscopy. These allow us to study the rotational motion of extended objects such as galaxies and nebulae.

While we only spent a short time on Cerro Pachón, we got to spend two nights on Cerro Tololo. The temperatures were unseasonably mild for early winter, and the night skies were perfect.

Cerro Tololo is dominated by the 4-meter Victor M. Blanco telescope, built in the early 1970s. A main research project of the Blanco observatory is the Dark Energy Survey, which looks for supernovae to study the dynamics and large scale structure of the universe. Near the Blanco telescope are several telescopes that are part of the Small and Medium Research Telescope System (SMARTS). One project that utilizes these telescopes is the CTIO Parallax Investigation, which searches for dim dwarf stars in our solar neighborhood.

The Blanco telescope at night. Photo by Renae Kerrigan.

Since then dozens of telescopes have been built on the site, including a cluster of smaller telescopes that form the “mushroom farm.” Many of these are tenent telescopes that rent space on the site.

It was on Cerro Tololo that we really had the opportunity to get a feel for what these remote observatories are like. We weren’t simply given a tour and sent on our way, but resided with the astronomers and workers. The observatory is remote, so it’s removed from the bustle of everyday life. It has an exquisite beauty that moves some to compose music about the experience.

A zorro (Andean fox) eyes us cautiously. Photo by Jim O’Leary

Of course the observatory most of us looked forward to visiting was the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). ALMA is a microwave radio observatory located in the remote Atacama desert. In order to observe such small wavelengths, ALMA was built on the Chajnantor plateau about 5000 meters (16,000 feet) above sea level.

ALMA antennas at Chajnantor. Photo by Mike Prokosch

ALMA consists of more than 60 12-meter antennas as well as 12 7-meter antennas. The 7-meter antennas are designed to be closely spaced, forming the Atacama Compact Array (ACA). Since the antennas use interferometry to create images of the sky, the ACA creates a wide sky view, while the larger array of 12-meter antennas allows us to focus in on particular objects. The antennas can be moved to different locations to allow for different scales and resolutions.

The correlator at ALMA. Photo by Tim Spuck.

The engineering of ALMA is incredibly ambitious. In order to combine signals from the antennas, a supercomputing correlator had to be built on the plateau. It is the highest altitude supercomputer on the planet. The correlator not only has to account for the arrangement of the antennas, but also the orientation of the Earth relative to the target object. As the Earth rotates, the effective separations of the antennas relative to the target change, and the correlator has to account for this in its calculations.

Sarah analyzes ALMA data. Photo by Peter Detterline.

While it was amazing to see some of Chile’s best observatories, what I really gained from the experience was how much modern astronomy is a human endeavor. While we often talk about breakthrough discoveries, or the amazing engineering of modern observatories, much of the work is done behind the scenes. People have to design and manufacture these observatories, and they have to be maintained and supported in order for the science to get done. Machinists, programmers, groundskeepers and security officers all play a necessary role.

There’s also the political machinations necessary for international collaborations. A large observatory such as ALMA is too much for one country to undertake. So ALMA is a collaboration between the United States (NRAO), Europe (ESO), East Asia (NAOJ) and the Republic of Chile. Its coordination has been likened to the United Nations.

And that’s the direction big science is taking. It’s only by working together that we can solve the unanswered questions of the universe.

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Before the 1960s, most major telescopes were in the northern hemisphere. The southern observatories that existed at the time were built more for convenience of access than clarity of skies. This was unfortunate since there are lots of wonderful objects in the southern sky such as the Magellanic clouds and Carina region of the Milky Way. So in 1962 it was decided to build a modern observatory on Cerro Tololo. It was to become the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), but was often referred to as the “Chile Project.”

Construction of the Blanco telescope. Credit: CTIO.

In order to protect the region from development, 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) of land surrounding Cerro Tololo were purchased for the project. Given its remoteness, an entire infrastructure had to be developed there, including water and electrical power.  The original plan for the site was to build a 1.5 meter telescope, but by the 1970s construction began on a 4-meter telescope. This became the flagship telescope on Cerro Tololo, and was named in honor of Victor Blanco in 1995. Blanco was the second director of CTIO, and was crucial to its establishment as a leading southern observatory.

A bit of music under the watch of Blanco. Credit: Jim O’Leary

Over the years other smaller telescopes have been installed on Tololo, and the Blanco 4-meter has been upgraded. Most recently the 520 megapixel camera array known as Dark Energy Camera was installed in 2012 as part of the Dark Energy Survey. The project studies dark energy through supernovae, baryon acoustic oscillation, and gravitational lensing.

Although there’s no more room for large telescopes on Cerro Tololo, there is room on other hills within the 30,000 hectares of CTIO. Most of the new construction focuses on Cerro Pachón, where the Southern Astrophysical Research telescope (SOAR) and Gemini South are located, and where Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) is under construction.

It looks like the Chile Project is likely to continue to grow for quite some time.

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Neil Armstrong didn’t go to the Moon. He was sent to the Moon by a skilled and hardworking team known as NASA. Armstrong wasn’t just along for the ride, but he didn’t do it alone. We don’t remember most of the NASA team, but we do remember Armstrong.

The same is true with modern big science. We read about the results, and we might see a quote or two from the primary scientists, but there’s an entire team that makes the scientific findings possible. We remember the show, but not the team behind the curtain.

We can now observe planets forming around other stars. Data gathered at ALMA, and funded by NSF.

Take, for example, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). It currently has 64 telescopes working together to study the sky at microwave wavelengths. It’s done some amazing work so far, and it will continue to do amazing work for at least the next 30 years. ALMA is only possible through a collaboration between Europe, the United States and Japan. Each of these have a corresponding research organization (ESO, NRAO, and NAOJ), and each of these organizations are funded through different governmental institutions. In the case of the U.S. it’s the National Science Foundation (NSF), the same institution that’s funded my trip to Chile.

There are hundreds of people working directly at ALMA. That doesn’t count those that coordinate behind the scenes, including the U.S. Embassy in Chile. Large science projects such as ALMA require both financial and political power to make it happen, and it’s only possible through international collaborations. If you’ve ever served on a committee at work you’ll understand just how amazing these big science collaborations actually are.

But the vast majority of people supporting ALMA and it’s science will never be mentioned in a press release, nor interviewed regarding their contribution to science. But their work behind the curtain is absolutely necessary. Without them, ALMA and other big projects like it wouldn’t be possible.

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In 1768 Charles Green joined Captain James Cook on a voyage to Tahiti. He was assigned the position of ship’s astronomer, and along with Cook intended to observe a transit of Venus. Because a Venus transit could be used to determine the size of our solar system, astronomers were sent all over the world to observe it. His voyage began in August of 1768, but didn’t arrive in Tahiti until April of 1769. Eight months of travel just to reach the right position on Earth to observe the transit.

In 1919 Arthur Eddington traveled to Príncipe to observe a total eclipse in order to test Einstein’s theory of general relativity. By this time long journeys were much less arduous, and took just six weeks to reach Príncipe by steam ship. It would have taken less time, but Eddington was stuck on Madeira for three weeks due to ships being full of soldiers returning home after World War I. It was still a pretty arduous trip by today’s standards, but Príncipe was the ideal location for observing the eclipse.

Today with our hyperconnected world, observational data can be gathered and used from all over the world. Often you don’t have to make a long journey to do astronomy. But modern telescopes still need to be located in remote locations. One of these locations is in the Andes mountain region of Chile. You may have heard of some of these sites, such as ALMA,  CTIO and Gemini. These telescopes play a central role in astronomy, but their remoteness means few people ever get a chance to see them in person. Over the next couple weeks, however, I’ll be one of the lucky few.

It is part of a program known as the Astronomy in Chile Education Ambassador Program (ACEAP), which is funded by NSF. My journey won’t be nearly as challenging, just a 10 hour flight from Atlanta to Santiago. I’ll also be blogging, tweeting and the like while I’m there. You’ll see daily posts (wifi willing) here, as well as posts on my Facebook, Google+, Twitter and YouTube pages. You can also follow other ACEAP members on the official Facebook page.

So stick around. It should be quite an adventure. The next time you hear from me, I’ll be in South America.

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