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U.S. Ambassador to Chile, Paul Simons (left, back row), hosted Dr. Wendy Freedman and Dr. Patrick McCarthy of Carnegie Observatories
November 6, 2009
Ambassador Simons hosted Dr. Wendy Freedman and Dr. Patrick McCarthy of Carnegie Observatories
U.S. Ambassador to Chile, Paul Simons, hosted Dr. Wendy Freedman, Director of Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena, California, and Dr. Patrick McCarthy, Director of the Giant Magellan Telescope at Carnegie Observatories, during their visit to Chile to introduce the Giant Magellan Telescope project to the astronomical community in Chile.
The Giant Magellan Telescope—a joint project between the U.S., Australia, and South Korea—will be a 24.5-meter (80 foot) telescope that will produce images up to 10 times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope. It will be located at Cerro Las Campanas, 115 km north-northeast of La Serena, Chile. The site was chosen because of its clear weather, sparse population and other favorable geographical conditions that make it suitable for long-term astronomical observation. The Carnegie Observatories hope to begin construction on the Giant Magellan Telescope in 2012, with completion projected in 2019.
Some of the themes of the event were collaboration among the many observatories resident in Chile, the historical partnership between Chile and the U.S. in the field of astronomy, and efforts to build “centers of excellence” in astronomy in Chile. The fruitful discussion also extended to Chile’s favorable geography and climate to produce renewable energy, such as solar, wind, geothermal, and wave energy.
Participants in the discussion included: Dr. Miguel Roth, Director of Las Campanas Observatory, Carnegie Institution; Mr. Allen Najum, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of Energy, Science, Technology and Innovation; Dr. R. Chris Smith, Director of Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory; Dr. Mónica Rubio, Director of Astronomy at CONICYT; Dr. Mario Hamuy, Head of the Astronomy Department, Universidad de Chile; Dr. Andres Escala, Professor of Astronomy at Universidad de Chile; Dr. Thijs de Grauw, ALMA Director, Joint ALMA Observatory; Dr. Eduardo Hardy, National Radio Astronomy Observatory-Chile/Adjunct Professor of Astronomy at Universidad de Chile; and Mr. Andres Infante, Sales and Marketing Manager, Electronics and Telecommunications, 3M.
