Amazing Observatories Around the World Perfect for Stargazing
If Cosmos has piqued your interest in the stars, then you need to add one of these incredible observatories to your bucket list. Perched upon mountaintops and even volcanoes, these high-tech towers are perfect for studying the heavens from behind a telescope.
If Cosmos has piqued your interest in the stars, then you need to add one of these incredible observatories to your bucket list. Perched upon mountaintops and even volcanoes, these high-tech towers are perfect for studying the heavens from behind a telescope.
Antofagasta, Chile
Chile has become a hotspot for the science, and there are at least a
dozen observatories—at various levels of tourist-friendliness—working
within the country's borders. Operated by the European Southern
Observatory (ESO), Paranal is open to weekend visitors, who come to see
the simply named Very Large Telescope (VLT). The VLT is actually
comprised of four smaller telescopes—named Antu, Kueyen, Melipal, Yepun,
meaning Sun, Moon, Southern Cross, and Venus in the indigenous Mapuche
language—which can be used in tandem to create an interferometer that
allows astronomers to see details up to 25 times finer than they could
with individual telescopes.Visit: Free, guided tours are offered on Saturdays at 10 am and 2 pm. There is no charge, but reservations are required.
Click through to see the full slideshow at the Condé Nast Traveler.
Photo: Gabriel Brammer/dpa/Corbis