Listening to the Stars in Chile The high, dry Andean wilderness is fast becoming a magnet for astronomers. At 5,000 meters (16,400 feet), the arid Chajnantor Plateau in northern Chile would seem to have little to recommend it. Almost nothing grows in the cold, thin air three miles above sea level, and without an auxiliary oxygen supply normal human activity is impossible. Quick-moving blizzards in winter can be lethal. Yet the expansive mesa and the barren Andean mountains that stand guard around it have been the winners of a string of beauty contests, of sorts, in recent years. Astronomers and physicists have repeatedly chosen this wilderness to locate some of the world’s most technologically advanced observatories.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 11:26:58 +0000
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