The location of our observatory is a true privilege that not only allows us to obtain astronomical data but also dazzles us with the wonders of the Universe that can be seen from the OSF with the naked eye.
This is recognized by María Jesús López, our Frontline Software Support Engineer (FLSE) from the ALMA Department of Computing (ADC), who last July 30th installed a telescope of the recreation equipment (ARA) in the antenna yard of the technical building, to see the Delta Aquarids meteor shower.
“We got to see the Pleiades, Jupiter and its moons and the Orion Nebula with the 8″ Orion Telescope, and chatted a bit about the constellations and meteor shower that day,” says María Jesús.
At 5 a.m. she set up her camera to take advantage of a window of about an hour, while the Moon was hiding on the horizon and before dawn.
But she didn’t go alone, three brave colleagues joined in. “I found it wonderful. Observing the sky and seeing the stars makes me feel quite small, insignificant in front of the magnitude of the Universe”, assures Javier Rojas, Electronic Engineer II of the Correlator DTS area.
“This experience is very special because in Santiago you don’t see these things. It is very nice to see the sky in this place when there is no Moon. It is a luxury,” adds Javier.
Mario Tejeda, our Electronic Engineer II from Front End, agrees: “It was very easy to see a shooting star. I must have seen a shooting star a couple of times in my life and that night I saw maybe 20”.
Excited to participate in an event like this, Mario braved the cold of the morning to observe the star-studded sky. And as icing on the cake, at the end of the evening they were able to see a Starlink constellation. They have not set a formal date to repeat the activity, but hope to do so when the phase of the Moon allows.
“Sometimes I talk to people who don’t know here and they ask me ‘Have you observed at the ALMA telescope?’ and it’s very difficult to explain. But now at least I can tell them that I did see on a telescope. It’s not ALMA, but it is a telescope that is in ALMA,” Mario concludes.
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Tremendo!!!!!