NOIRLab Leads AstroDay Chile in Celebration of National Day of Astronomy

March 11, 2024

A variety of AstroDay activities awaits you at the Gabriela Mistral Regional Library in La Serena

The astronomy fair AstroDay Chile 2024, organized by NSF’s NOIRLab and AURA, will kick off the celebrations of the National Day of Astronomy in Chile on Friday 15 March. The fair takes place from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Gabriela Mistral Regional Library in La Serena. From paper rocket construction to a feature of the world-acclaimed production Big Astronomy, there will be a diverse selection of fun and educational activities for the whole family.

AstroDay Chile is one the most popular events for astronomy in Chile. In attendance will be professionals from observatories such as Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory and Vera C. Rubin Observatory, both of them Programs of NSF’s NOIRLab, International Gemini Observatory, which is operated by NSF’s NOIRLab, the Las Campanas Observatory and many more, offering the public a unique opportunity to learn about the latest scientific discoveries and advances from the observatories in Chile, and hear about the many public visit programs they offer. Scientists from the University of La Serena and Central University will also be there to interact with the public and with students who are considering careers in astronomy.

One of the prominent organizations at the event will be the Office for the Protection of Sky Quality in Northern Chile (OPCC), who will inform the public about the importance of caring for the night sky, not only for the benefit of science but also the local economies, human health and environmental protection.

AstroDay will also host a wide variety of activities such as workshops about the Moon and galaxies, solar observing, career panels, paper rocket launching, a portable planetarium, 3D movies, Star Wars cosplayers and a showing of the world-acclaimed film Big Astronomy, produced by the California Academy of Science and filmed at Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachón, and which is also available for free download here.

All activities coordinated by NOIRLab are free of charge for AstroDay visitors. Check out the program online.This day of astronomy celebration and education is made possible through a partnership with the Gabriela Mistral Regional Library.

AstroDay Chile awaits you!

More information 

NSF’s NOIRLab (National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory), the US center for ground-based optical-infrared astronomy, operates the International Gemini Observatory (a facility of NSF, NRC–Canada, ANID–Chile, MCTIC–Brazil, MINCyT–Argentina, and KASI–Republic of Korea), Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), the Community Science and Data Center (CSDC), and Vera C. Rubin Observatory (operated in cooperation with the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory). It is managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) under a cooperative agreement with NSF and is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona. The astronomical community is honored to have the opportunity to conduct astronomical research on Iolkam Du’ag (Kitt Peak) in Arizona, on Maunakea in Hawai‘i, and on Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachón in Chile. We recognize and acknowledge the very significant cultural role and reverence that these sites have to the Tohono O’odham Nation, to the Native Hawaiian community, and to the local communities in Chile, respectively.

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