Over the course of the week, we visited five observatories, three during the day and two at night.
Observatorio Astronomico Nacional
Wednesday, 10 December 2025
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| The original 28 cm (11 inch) refractor at the OAN headquarters on Cerro Calán in Santiago. While this telescope is no longer used for active viewing, we did get to see Saturn and 47 Tucanae globular cluster through the observatory's portable 12-inch Schmitt-Cassegrain telescope, |
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| When the Observatory was established in 1956 (finished in 1962), Cerro Calán was on the far outskirts of Santiago. As you can see, it is now beset by heavily light-polluted skies from the metropolitan region. Regardless, it was a nice introduction to the southern hemisphere skies (why is Orion upside down and backwards?). |
El Pangue Observatory
Friday, 12 December 2025
This is a privately run observatory near Vicuña that offers public viewings. We had the evening to explore the night sky with naked eye, binoculars, and a 20-inch Dobsonian telescope. This time of year the Milky Way is stretched along the horizon, so we missed the stunning views that we've seen on previous trips south of the equator.
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| Cerro Tololo as seen from El Pangue in the post-sunset twilight. |
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| Orion |
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| The glow from Vicuña can be seen at the bottom, while the Pleiades are at the upper right. |
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