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Cutting-edge science and life behind the scenes at ESO,
the European Southern Observatory.
Episode 85: Chile Chill 7 – “Visitors to the Desert”
Chile’s Atacama Desert
is one of the driest places in the world
It’s paradise for the professional astronomers
who use ESO’s telescopes
Some of the world’s most powerful instruments
for astronomical research are here
Although it’s an inhospitable place,
many visitors come to this magical part of the world
Here people can stand before a doorway to the Universe
Watching the sunset and waiting for night to fall
The astonishing night skies add their own magic
to the scientific studies carried out here
Photographer Babak Tafreshi
immerses himself in the sheer beauty of the place
ESO Photo Ambassador Petr Horálek
marvels at the Martian landscape of the desert
Astronomer Yuri Beletsky
has time to stand and stare
Legendary rock star and astrophysicist Brian May
came to visit this extraordinary place
The observatories are honoured by visits
from the local fauna as well
A wild fox makes a tenuous living in the desert
Vicuñas and guanacos, desert camelids,
pass by the ESO observatories
Desert donkeys are often to be found grazing by the roadside
A tinamou bird explores the desert landscape
Short-eared owls guard the night
And shy viscachas look for food
And finally the celestial visitors — comets...
show off in a spectacular sky over ESO’s observatories
and the desolate desert landscape
Spectacular Comet McNaught
in January 2007 brought breathtaking views
Comet Lovejoy unexpectedly survived
its close approach to the Sun
And appeared as the Christmas comet
over the Atacama Desert in 2011
The desolate beauty of the Atacama Desert
will continue to enchant visitors
Transcription by ESO; translation by —