It’s a once in a ‘blue moon’ occurrence and time for the moon to take the spotlight. Following the great solar eclipse last August, serendipity will strike on Wednesday 31 January, when a total lunar eclipse is set to occur at the same time as a supermoon and blue moon.
The Chilean Andes will be the location for the world’s largest telescope: the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), costing more than €1bn, which will capture the universe's earliest moments.
Widely considered a Mecca for astronomy, Chile has further assured its world prominence in the field of astronomy with a new law that will set aside land specifically for astronomical observation for the next 50 years.
Chile has won its bid for the world’s largest telescope to be constructed on its shores. The 42-metre European Extremely Large Telescope will be built in Chile’s north—3,060 meters above sea level on a mountain known as Armazonas.
Many of the world’s largest investments in the field of astronomy can be found in Chile for the same reasons that Cerro Armazones, in the Antofagasta region, may become home to a new telescope that would produce images 15 times shaper than the Hubble telescope.