Riga Technical University (RTU) invites to the guest lecture delivered by the Executive Director of the Chilean Astronomical Society Eduardo Unda-Sanzana dedicated to research in the field of astronomy conducted in Chile using observatories and telescopes located in the Atacama Desert. The lecture will be held at the premises of RTU Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, 6 Ķīpsalas Street, Room 115, on Wednesday, 15 November, at 16.00.
The Atacama Desert in Chile is an astronomy research location of international significance due to its geographical characteristics – it is one of the driest deserts in the world with an extremely rare occurrence of rain. There is crystal clear sky and absolutely no air pollution. Numerous important observatories equipped with powerful starry sky observation facilities are located in the desert. The Atacama Desert is not only the place of scientific research in astronomy, it is also a popular travel destination for astronomy enthusiasts.
In the first half of the lecture E. Unda-Sanzana will talk about the Atacama Desert and starry sky observations conducted there, he will also report on the largest telescopes located in Chile, for example, APEX – Atacama Pathfinder Experiment – a radio telescope located 5,100 meters above sea level whose main dish is 12 meter in diameter. The astronomer will talk about technical aspects of the telescope structure and its application opportunities, as well as about the initiated and envisaged telescope construction projects, for example, GMT – Giant Magellan Telescope. The resolution of GMT will be ten times higher than that of the Hubble Space Telescope. It is expected that GMT will bring revolutionary change in the way how we see and perceive the Universe.
In the second half of the lecture E. Unda-Sanzana will talk about the Chilean astronomy research centers, observatories and laboratories, as well as research cooperation opportunities and the available research funding. ALMA – Atacama Large Millimeter / Submillimeter Array is the most well-known observatory in Chile. It houses the world largest radio telescope, which consists of 66 high-precision antennas; it conducts observations of the Universe in millimeter and less than millimeter (submillimeter) wavelength rays in the range between infrared and radio waves.
The seating is limited, so prior registration for the lecture is necessary.
The guest lecture is organized in cooperation with the Embassy of Chile in Sweden and Honorary Consulate of Chile in Riga, Latvia.
