CHILESCOPE

CHILESCOPE is a remote, robotically operated observatory in the Chilean Atacama, built for astronomers and astrophotographers anywhere in the world to book professional telescope time online.

About CHILESCOPE

CHILESCOPE is a remote observatory in the southern Atacama Desert of Chile, about 20 km southeast of Cerro Pachon, home to the Gemini South Observatory. It shares its mountain site with the Obstech observatory, and staff from both facilities work closely together.

History

The observatory was founded by Ivan Rubtzov and Sergey Pogrebissky, with support from astronomer Yuri Beletsky of the Carnegie Institution for Science.

Telescopes & equipment

CHILESCOPE operates four domes: two house 20-inch (0.5 m) astrographs and a third contains a 39.4-inch (1 m) Ritchey-Chretien reflector. Rather than professional research, the facility runs on a pay-per-use "astronomy on demand" model, letting subscribers book deep-sky or planetary imaging sessions remotely; it was the first remote provider to offer planetary imaging this way.

Location & getting there

The observatory sits in Chile's Coquimbo Region, deep in the southern Atacama Desert. The nearest city with an airport is La Serena, about 2.5 hours away by car, and the nearest town is Ovalle.

Visiting CHILESCOPE

CHILESCOPE is a working remote-imaging facility rather than a public tourist site, and its telescopes are normally booked and operated online. If you'd like to see the site or arrange access, check the observatory's official website for current options before travelling.

See your named star from here

CHILESCOPE's telescopes are built precisely to be pointed at coordinates from afar, which is exactly what's needed to capture a named star. Find its right ascension and declination in the star catalogue, or name a star to get started.