The Collowara Observatory is a tourist, scientific, and educational observation center located on Cerro El Churqui (El Churqui Hill), 1,300 meters above sea level in the Coquimbo Region. It is 5 kilometers from the town of Andacollo, 61 kilometers southeast of La Serena, the regional capital, and 487 kilometers north of Santiago. Opened in 2004, its name comes from the Aymara language and means "hill (or land) of stars."
Since pre-Hispanic times, Andacollo's economy has relied on mining activities, specifically medium and small copper and gold mines. However, in recent decades, astrotourism has gained prominence in the region, thanks to its excellent climate conditions and clear, unpolluted skies. In addition to national tourists, regular visitors from the USA, Europe, Australia, Canada, and other places contribute to the growth and significance of this activity within the tourism industry.
Inaugurated on June 25, 2004, the project was developed with the collaboration of a team of professionals and experts in astronomy who designed the facilities with a beautiful architectural style and state-of-the-art equipment.
Today, Collowara offers astronomy tours led by specialized guides for all audiences, featuring a variety of high-resolution telescopes on the terraces and in the central dome. Visitors can observe planets and constellations, and the audiovisual rooms display the sky in real time.
Location of Collowara
Equipment and Tours
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| Image: collowara.com |
It has a steel-aluminum dome that rotates 360 ° in both directions, as well as the 14-inch Smith Cassigrein model main telescope which, within its "menu", includes a moonwalk that allows astronomical photographs to be taken through a CCD camera.
Located outdoors and away from the structure of the observatory, there are three direct observation decks, arranged in a cross shape facing East, from where the Tololo and Gemini scientific observatories can be seen with the naked eye. On the decks are two automatic 10-inch Newtonian Smith model telescopes and 1 manual 16-inch Dobsonian model telescope.
Collowara offers different tours and programs for visitors who want to enjoy the wonders of the night sky. Depending on the season and the weather conditions, you can see different astronomical phenomena, such as planets, moons, comets, eclipses, meteor showers and more. Some of the tours and programs available are:
- The regular tour, which lasts about two hours and includes a visit to the screening room, the terraces and the main dome. The tour is guided by experts who explain the basics of astronomy and answer questions from visitors. The tour costs about 13 USD per person.
- The astro-photography tour, which allows visitors to take pictures of the sky using their own cameras or smartphones. The tour includes a brief introduction to astro-photography techniques and tips, as well as access to the terraces and the main dome. The tour costs about 20 USD per person.
It has a steel-aluminum dome that rotates 360 ° in both directions, as well as the 14-inch Smith Cassigrein model main telescope which, within its "menu", includes a moonwalk that allows astronomical photographs to be taken through a CCD camera.
How to Get There/ Contact Information
Address: 5 km from the town of Andacollo.Office: Avenida La Serena 2 (in front of Copec Gas Station), Andacollo
Website: collowara.com
Email: observatorio.collowara@gmail.com
Mobile Phones: +56 97645 2970 - +56 98881 0354 - +56 97136 1388
Email: observatorio.collowara@gmail.com
Mobile Phones: +56 97645 2970 - +56 98881 0354 - +56 97136 1388
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