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Las Campanas Observatory
From background left to foreground right, the du Pont, Swope, and twin Magellan telescopes.
Telescopes at Las Campanas Observatory
Organization Carnegie Institution for Science
Code 304  
Location Atacama Region, Chile
Coordinates
29°00′53″S 70°41′33″W / 29.0146°S 70.6926°W / -29.0146; -70.6926
Altitude 2,380 metres (7,810 ft)
Established 1971 (1971)
Telescopes
Magellan Telescopes 6.5 m reflectors
du Pont Telescope 2.5 m reflector
Warsaw Telescope 1.3 m reflector
Swope Telescope 1 m reflector

Las Campanas Observatory is an astronomical observatory in the southern Atacama desert in Chile. It is owned and operated by the Carnegie Institution for Science. It was built in 1969 as the main observing site for the Carnegie Institution for Science. The headquarters is located in La Serena, Chile and the observatory is about 100 km (62 mi) northeast of the city. The observatory is at 2,400 m (7,874 ft) above sea level.

On February 24, 1987, Ian Shelton and Oscar Duhalde first saw the Supernova 1987A (SN 1987A).

Telescopes

  • Magellan Telescopes — Two 6.5m telescopes, Magellan 1 named after Walter Baade and Magellan II after Landon Clay
  • Du Pont Telescope — 2.5-meter (100-inch), named after Irénée du Pont and in operation since 1977
  • Swope Telescope — 1m, named after Henrietta Swope
  • Warsaw Telescope — 1.3 m, owned by Warsaw University Observatory
  • Giant Magellan Telescope (under construction) — 24.5 m effective (seven 8.4 m segments)
  • NANTEN Telescope (closed) — 4m millimeter-wavelength radio telescope, transported to Atacama desert, Chile.

There are also the small "Pi of the sky" wide-angle cameras that filmed the gamma ray burst GRB 080319B in 2008. This was the largest explosion ever seen in the Universe, and could have been seen without a telescope.

Images for kids

  • Du Pont Las Campanas

    du Pont telescope

  • Warszawskie Obserwatorium Południowe

    Warsaw telescope dome and control building

  • Warszawskie Obserwatorium Południowe Teleskop

    Warsaw telescope

  • Clay telescope

    Clay telescope (one of the Magellan telescopes)

  • Magellan telescopes

    Magellan telescopes

  • Telescopio Polaco Las Campanas

    Magellan telescopes, Warsaw and Swope telescopes (LTR)

  • Teleskopy ASAS OGLE

    ASAS telescopes

  • BiSON Las Campanas Station

    BiSON Solar Telescope

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Observatorio Las Campanas para niños

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