Collowara Observatory

Name: From Aymara language Qullo means Hill and Wara means Star.

Location: Hill El Churqui, in the southeast part of Andacollo, at an altitude of 1.300 mts above the sea level. 59 km southeast from the city of La Serena.

Description: This observation center was inaugurated in 2004 and has three observation terraces, from where you can see the stunning world-class scientific observatories Tololo, Gemini and a privileged view of the natural environment.

Equipment: 14″ GPS Schmidt-Cassegrain; Dobsonian 16″ y Schmidt-newtonian 10″.

Note: The tour is subject to weather conditions.

If you want to visit the Pangue Observatory please click here.

Mamalluca Observatory

Name:The name is taken from the same mountain where it is placed the observatory, the Cerro Mamalluca. In Quechua language  Wamakk or Wama means “strange thing, or uncommon thing” and lluchka means “blurry”.

Location: 9 km northeast from the city of Vicuña at 1.100 meters above the sea level. It is 71 to the east of La Serena.

Description: Everything started in 1995 as a new school project that took shape and that finally opened in 1998 thanks to the contributions of the National Foundation for Art and Culture (FONDART), the Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory, which donated the telescope, the company Capel and the city of Vicuña.

Equipment: Four 16″ telescopes, three 12″ telescopes and a 12″ Meade telescope LX200.

If you want to visit the Mamalluca Observatory please click here.

Cruz del Sur Observatory

Name: It takes the name from one of the most classical constellation of the southern sky: the Southern Cross or Crux. This is because the domes of the observatory are placed the same way as the stars in Crux constellation.

Location: Combarbalá at 1.140 meters above the sea level, 3 hours southeast from La Serena. The road is fully paved.

Description: The project of this observatory was promoted in the IV region of Chile by the Municipality of Combarbalá and the Planetarium of the University of Santiago. It was funded by the Regional Counsel of Coquimbo who, at the beginning of 2005, donated 246 million of pesos for the construction and implementation of this new astronomic center.

Equipment: Two telescopes Meade LX200-R Schmidt-Cassegrain type of 16″ and two Meade equipments, LX200-R Schmidt-Cassegrain de 14″ type, all of them with equatorial mount.

Visiting Hours: 17:00, 20:00, 22:00 hrs.

Pangue Observatory

Name: The observatory takes the name from the property where it is placed, the farm El Pangue.

Location: It is located 18 km to the south of the city of Vicuña, and 80 km to the east of the city of La Serena at 1500 mt above the sea level. The offices are in the city of Vicuña.

Description: Astronomica del Sur is a company related to the astronomy field: courses, colsuntancies, education, etc. This was the company behind the construction of the Mamalluca observatory and Pangue observatory is one of their new projects. Leer mas

Mayu Observatory

Name: Cerro Mayu Observatory. Mayu in the tongue of the Incas means “Milky Way”.

Location: Quebrada de Talca, 27 km East from the city of La Serena.

Description: This project started in 1969 with the creation of the Astronomy and Physics Academy of the observatory of the Seminario Conciliar School, one of the most traditional schools of La Serena. In 1977 is inaugurated the Tololito Observatory, named that way after the famous scientific Observatory Cerro Tololo. Leer mas

Tour Collowara Observatory

Our stellar journey under the dark skies of Andacollo, just an hour from La Serena at 1.300 mts (4.200 ft aprox.) elevation, begins with a explicative talk about the universe from a specialized guide in the projection hall of the Collowara amateur observatory.

The hall where the talk is given is wide and comfortable, very similar to a cinema. After the talk, outside the observatory, the guide explains us, with the help of a laser pointer, about the constellations and their location, encouraging us to use our imagination.

Later on and after we watch the sky with our bear eyes we go to the telescopes. Collowara has high quality equipment: a 16″ telescope, a 14″ telescope and a 10″ telescope placed in special way to have a 360º sight.

Included:

• Transfer
• Snack
• Ticket for Observatory

Note: The tour is subject to weather conditions.

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Tour Pangue Observatory

Pangue is an ambitious project that is still being developed. Today is already running, but in the future plans to become in the best of its kind, even more, they want to be worldwide recognize in the field of astronomic tourism. To accomplish this ambitious task they have implemented the best telescope for amateur astronomy in Chile and count with the best professionals in this matter.

Pangue observatory is located 10 miles to the south of Vicuña, in the middle of the mystic Elqui valley, at  1.500 mts (4.900 ft aprox.) elevation, just an hour and a half from La Serena. This is a unique place, the only human constructions visible from Pangue are the scientific observatories Cerro Tololo and Gemini. But the most outstanding thing is the quality of the sky, the result of the combination of light pollution absence and good weather. This is one the reason why astronomers and professional observatories are still interested in the Elqui Valley, even today. Now the valley is waiting for the construction of the LSST, a reflector telescope with a special camera that will take beautiful pictures of the universe.

The visit to this observatory begins with an introductory talk made by the observatory guides. One of the advantage of Pangue observatory in comparison with the rest of touristic observatories is the human team: the only tourist observatory directed by experts (astronomers, teachers and astrophotographers). The talks are very clear and instructive and they work with small groups in order to make everyone to understand and participate in a better way. No more than 12 people.

Now the technical equipment they have consist in one 12″ telescope, a 16″ telescope and a Dobsonian 25″ telescope, making the Pangue observatory, the one with the best telescopes in Chile.

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Tour Mamalluca Observatory

It’s a real show at 1.100 meters above the sea level the given by the most educational and tourist observatory of the fourth region. Northwest from Vicuña, in the middle of the valley, there’s the observatory of the Mamalluca hill (In Quechua language Wama or Wamakk means “strange thing” and lluchka means “blur”). The observatory started as visionary school project in 1995 that was carefully developed and finally inaugurated in 1998.

The tour starts with an introductory talk about astronomy in charge of a specialized guide. Then we enjoy a marvellous journey trough our skies, visiting stars and constellations with the help of telescopes placed in the terrace of the observatory. Besides with your bear eyes you can observe planets like Jupiter, Saturn and Mars or the constellations of Orion, Taurus, Sagittarius, Scorpion and the Southern Cross (Crux).

We will also enjoy watching the famous Magellan Clouds, two satellite galaxies very similar to our own galaxy that can be seen only from the south hemisphere.

Finally we go to the Mamalluca observatory main dome where a guide with a good knowledge about the southern sky will show you, with the help of an electronic telescope, objects in the deep universe like the Nebula 30 Doradus, the Open Cluster M47 or the open cluster the Jewel box located in the constellation of Crux.

After this amazing experience we return to La Serena.

Included:

• Trasfer
• Snack
• Ticket Observatory

Note: The tour is subject to weather conditions.

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