Chile Nautus - First Season

Today in Chile Nautas premiere,

dedicated to the sun we will visit the region of Coquimbo

to see how the tourist astronomical observatories

and restaurants get ready to host

the total solar eclipse, next July 2nd.

We'll go to the region of Antofagasta to discover how ALMA

the most important radio telescope in the world, works.

I'll climb up to 5,000 meters over sea level

to get to know it's 66 antennas, that study the Sun.

I will also visit the archeological park of Chug Chug,

where I'll be part of a ritual

together with the Andean people

to know their world room of the universe and eclipses.

This year astronomy has great relevance,

it's been 50 years since the human being landed on the Moon.

The space race is more alive than ever

with upcoming missions to Mars.

It's been 100 years

since Einstein's Theory Of Relativity was confirmed.

In Chile, we will have two consecutive total solar eclipses,

and we are the world capital of astronomy.

And perhaps one day it will be possible to confirm,

from our skies, if there's extra terrestrial life.

I'm Andrea Obaid, science journalist.

And I want to invite you to travel with me

to visit the world's largest telescopes,

to learn about the preparations

for this year's eclipses in the North

and 2020's in the South.

And to witness how astronomy is a source of inspiration

in art music, theater and photography.

All this and more in Chile Nautas,

in a great adventure of knowledge.

The sun is our star, the center of our solar system.

It illuminates us every day and provides us

with the necessary heat for life to exist on Earth.

We are alive thanks to it.

This year and the next our star will be the main actor.

From Chile, we will have the privilege

of observing two consecutive total solar eclipses,

on July 2nd in the region of Coquimbo

and on December 14th of 2020 in the region of Araucania.

This happens when the moon stands

between the sun and the Earth,

causing the day to transform in to night for a few minutes.

But it will be only seen entirely

in the regions of Coquimbo and Atacama.

In the rest of the country,

it will only be partially observed.

Eclipses occur quite frequently,

but not always on the same spot on Earth.

For an eclipse to occur on the same spot,

as the one we're going to have now, in La Serena,

it turns out that 400 years have to pass by.

That's why it's so important for us

to take this opportunity, to see an eclipse.

Keep in mind that there are other eclipses,

they're not total, and those are more frequent.

But the total eclipse is the phenomenon

that I find most spectacular.

At least once in life, one has to see one.

The region of Coquimbo

will host one of the most beautiful astronomical phenomena

that can be seen, the total solar eclipse.

This hasn't happened for 427 years

at this point in our country.

But how do tourist astronomical observatories get ready?

How is gastronomy and tourism

getting prepared to witness this great event?

That's what we're going to find out here in La Serena.

The total solar eclipse shall take place

on July 2nd of this year, it will begin at 03:22 p.m.

Total darkening shall take place in 04:38 p.m.

While Elqui Valley is one of the ideal places to see it,

another recommended spot is Andacollo,

to the Southeast of La Serena.

At 1,300 meters over sea level, at the top of Mount Churqui,

the Collowara Tourist Astronomical Observatory can be found,

promising a great spectacle to witness the eclipse.

Let's see it.

Charles Flores who has been granted

The Collowara Concession

has dedicated the last three years of his life

to promote astro tourism in Andacollo.

Adults and children from all around the world

come to observe the sky

and marvel at the beauty of our universe.

But what surprises does he have for the day of the eclipse?

Astronomical tourism is, undoubtedly,

a very entertaining activity.

Firstly, because it allows tourists

to look at the sky and be able to travel to areas

where they can have the best views of a night sky,

a starry sky, which is always very important.

On the other hand, it's an activity

that allows us astronomers to disseminate the work we do

and to bring astronomy to a general public.

As the world capital of astronomy,

for the quality of our dark skies,

and the large international observatory facilities

that we have here in Chile,

astronomy and the sky are part of our national identity.

Surely this is a unique opportunity

in our lives,

considering that a total solar eclipse

occurs in the same spot about every 370 years.

But are we prepared to receive thousands of people

who will arrive to the Coquimbo region on July 2nd?

What contingency plan is there

to make it a unique experience?

I'll go downtown La Serena to talk with the Mayor,

so she can answer my questions.

That's why one has to look for a good place to see it

because in the region of the stars,

the next eclipse shall be on August 28th, 2231,

that is 212 years from now.

And as a great astronomical party,

restaurants and bars of La Serena and Coquimbo

are also getting ready to receive thousands of tourists

with pasty dishes and drinks, inspired by the eclipse.

It's a pleasure to see how tourism and science,

merge to live this great event,

that full surely mark our lives forever.

And that will be a boost for Chile

to become a must-see, astronomical tourism destination,

especially when in the next few years,

two of the largest telescopes in the world,

The Giant Magellan and the LSST

will be operating in the Coquimbo region.

I have the great opportunity

to travel to San Pedro de Atacama

in the Antofagasta region

to know the ALMA Radio Telescope where the sun is studied

for its 66 antennas that are 5,000 meters over sea level.

Astronomy regarding the Sun,

seeks to understand how a star works.

The Sun is a star that also has activity,

it isn't the still the whole time.

It has a cycle with greater emission, less emission.

ONe always wonders, if in a cycle,

much larger than what we have recorded,

on the variations of the Sun,

if perhaps a star could do something

a little more catastrophic to our planet.

Having a solar eruption much more intense

than those recorded during the last 5,000 years

could affect the Earth in an unknown way.

This is a super important year for Chile

because we're going to witness a total solar eclipse.

We're to be able to see it in it's entirety,

everywhere in Chile,

but in addition, in a hundred percent

in the Coquimbo region as well as in the Atacama region.

And that's why we're now heading

to the ALMA Radio Telescope,

the largest on Earth, where the sun is studied.

Anyways, I'm a bit nervous

because we'll have to go up to 5,000 meters

to see the antennas.

And I'm already having a bit of a headache,

a bit of altitude sickness.

This happens because there's less oxygen at altitude,

less pressure for oxygen to reach the blood.

So let's see how we fare

in this great adventure in Chile Nautas.

ALMA stands for Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array

and it's funded by the United States, Europe and Japan.

Since 2013, it has made dozens of discoveries

that have gone around the world.

One of the most recent and important ones

happened in April of this year,

the first image of a black hole in history.

Thanks to the Event Horizon Telescope,

a global set of eight ground-based radio telescopes,

in different parts of the world,

including ALMA in Chile,

that operated to achieve the incredible image

of the Messier 87 black hole

that is in the center of the galaxy,

55 million light years away from Earth.

This is one of the reasons that get me so excited

about knowing this observatory.

But surely the most ambitious thing

is climbing to the plateau in Llano de Chajnantor,

where the antennas are at a great height,

5,000 meters over sea level.

Not just anyone can climb

and to do so I'll have to pass some difficult tests.

Meanwhile, I arrive at the operation support facility,

also called OSF, at 3000 meters over sea level,

where astronomers and engineers

from different parts of the world,

come here to do their research, work and sleep.

A place that also receives visit from the public,

every Friday and Saturday for free,

so you have to register.

Now I will meet the American astronomer Richard Simon,

who will explain how ALMA works.

This is the ALMA control room.

And what we are doing in this room is controlling the array.