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Astronomy will land this Saturday in the Aconcagua Valley

Workshops for children, talks on space travel and unfriendly asteroids, plus a night of sky observation, are some of the attractions of an event designed jointly by the Astronomy Department of the University of Chile, the CATA Astrophysics Center and the Municipality of Calle Larga. The event -public and free of charge- will begin at 18:00 hrs this January 22 and will be called: Astroverano 2022.

“The University of Chile has a tremendous appreciation for Calle Larga, they are a small but fantastic commune with a great vision towards science and technology. They have made a strategic bet through the creation of the Pocuro observatory, as Universidad de Chile we want to support them”, explains José Maza, astronomer of the Universidad de Chile and National Prize of Exact Sciences.

For Dina Gonzáles, Mayor of Calle Larga, this celebration of science and technology is a very special occasion for the commune “Astroverano celebrates its 5th anniversary in January, and the Pocuro Observatory is an ideal place to experience it. More than 2000 people have accompanied us in these astronomy festivities, and this year will be special because in addition to the in-person activities, there will be online transmissions via Facebook, Youtube and Twitter”, adds the mayor.

 

PROGRAM

18:00

Workshop for boys and girls: A nebula in your hands

A spectacular activity aimed at the youngest of the house, open to children from 5 years of age. “Nebulae are objects composed of gas and dust in which galaxies are born. In this workshop we will be able to create our “own nebulae” in a bottle and also learn about their role in the universe”, explains Vanessa Aravana, Bachelor in Astronomy FCFM of the University of Chile and disseminator of the National Astronomical Observatory and the Antukuyen Group.

LIMITED capacity

19:30

Talk: Interstellar Travel

Designed for students aged 8 to 14. “We will make a tour of the various distances that we can find in the cosmos around us. We will analyze the possibility of traveling to other habitable planets, to other solar systems, to places outside our galaxy, always seeking to extend the limits of the space frontier”, says Benjamín Navarrete, lecturer of the activity, student of the Master in Science, mention in Astronomy, Uchile, and disseminator of the National Astronomical Observatory.

21:00

MASTER LECTURE

“Don’t Look Up. Comets and Asteroids in Real Life”, is the name of the main activity of the Calle Larga astro-summer. “A Netflix movie reminded us how dangerous asteroids can be. I will seek to clear the real from the fictional and how astronomy is monitoring the sky”, adds José Vinés, Ph.D candidate of the Department of Astronomy FCFM Uchile and outreach worker of the Observatory.

At the end of the talk, dozens of portable telescopes will be available to observe the brightest objects in the sky of the Aconcagua Valley, “this Saturday we hope to see planets and stars. It will be very nice”, concludes Yerko Chacón, Director of the Calle Larga Pocuro Observatory.

 

Exporting the Cosmos to Cyberspace

All the activities will be transmitted simultaneously through multiple social networks, below is a list of them

  1.  Facebook of the University of Chile

https://web.facebook.com/uchile

  1.  Facebook of the Astronomy Department of the Universidad de Chile

https://web.facebook.com/DASUCHILE

  1.  Facebook of the Municipality of Calle Larga

https://web.facebook.com/CalleLargaCadaDiaMejor

  1.  Youtube Channel of the Center of Excellence in Astrophysics CATA

https://www.youtube.com/user/AstronomiaCata

  1.  Radio Festival Facebook Fanpage

https://web.facebook.com/radiofestivaloficial

  1.  Explora O’Higgins Facebook Fanpage

https://web.facebook.com/parexploraohiggins

  1.  Explora Maule’s Facebook Fanpage

https://web.facebook.com/cientificosescolaresmaule

  1.  Facebook Fanpage of Fundación Chile 2100

https://web.facebook.com/chile2100/

  1.  Fanpage of Facebook of Terremoto Talcahuano

https://web.facebook.com/terremoto.entalcahuano

  1.  Fanpage de facebook de ONG Nóbeles Australes

https://web.facebook.com/nobelesaustrales

  1.  Twitter account of the Astronomy Department of Universidad de Chile

https://twitter.com/AstroUchile

IMPORTANT: PANDEMIC CONTEXT

The activities will take place in an open place and will require a mobility pass to enter and the use of masks at all times. In addition, the authorities will ensure faithful compliance with all health protocols required by law.

HOW TO GET TO THE POCURO OBSERVATORY

The observatory is located in the Calle Larga district, approximately one hour from the city of Santiago. The address is Avenida Pedro Aguirre Cerda s/n sector Pocuro, Calle Larga, Los Andes, Valparaíso Region.