On astronomy and international relations

Photo of James Bond filming at Paranal in 2008, photo courtesy of ESO.

It was in Chile that I first became passionate about astronomy in 2008. During the REU at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, we had an opportunity to visit several of the major observatories in Chile, including the European Southern Observatory (ESO) at Cerro Paranal, coincidentally just weeks before James Bond would be filmed at the observatory's residencia.  Astronomy in Chile was gaining world-wide notice, and at the same time I was contemplating what to do with a liberal arts major in physics, minor in economics and an interest in international relations.

My first visit to Paranal, learning about astronomy in Chile in 2008.
Behind me are some of the 1.8m ESO telescopes.

You probably know where this led me -- to pursue a PhD in Astronomy at Yale, Fulbright fellowship and year in Chile.  I find myself fortunate to follow a path which returns to the places where my passion began.  Recently I had the opportunity to travel to Paranal again, this time with several ALMA astronomers.  Our goal was to learn how Paranal operates and how ALMA might aspire to operate once the construction and commissioning are complete.  ALMA and Paranal are two great examples of international projects, based on a worldwide effort of scientists and governments working together, with the goal of investigating the physical secrets of our Universe.  In other words, physics, economics and international relations.

In 2012, I spent about 6 weeks at observatories, all the time observing light with wavelengths of about 1 mm, also called millimeter or sub-mm wavelengths, so my visit to Paranal was an opportunity to become re-acquainted with optical astronomy.  While the mm/sub-mm telescopes look like giant satellite dishes, the telescopes at Paranal use giant mirrors enclosed within domes.  Paranal has four 8.4 m telescopes called the Very Large Telescopes, as well as several 1.8 m telescopes, which can work together to comprise the Very Large Telescope Interferometer.  With an ESO scientist and interferometry expert, we toured the telescopes and interferometer lab, and we watched the scientists at work in the control room.  We asked a million questions about optical interferometry; of particular interest to us were comparisons with interferometry at longer wavelengths with ALMA.

An 8m mirror...

...inside one of these giant domes!

Paranal is run very efficiently, a joint-effort of astronomers, telescope operators, engineers, computer programmers, and other staff.  To give you some idea, there seemed to be about 10 astronomers and operators working in the control room at the beginning of the night, with decreased demand as the nights' observations progressed smoothly. During the day was time for engineers and programmers to maintain the equipment, or for astronomers to catch up on science projects.  We heard that it took years for many of these operations to be stream-lined following the construction of Paranal in XX, giving hope to the scientists at ALMA where construction only began a few years ago and inauguration is planned for March 2013.

Isolated from the nearest city of Antofagasta, about two hours by bus, the location of Paranal ensures very dark skies, and the facilities provide a very conducive work environment for the staff and visitors. The blast of humidity as you step into the residencia will rejuvenate your desert-dried skin, as the lush indoor greenery and swimming pool will also refresh your senses.  I was impressed by a photo exhibit featuring work by ESO astronomers, as well as professional artwork in the lobby. Small touches like these acknowledged that astronomers are people too.  For the creative, artistic or spiritual guests, there is also a music room, theater, gym and non-denominational chapel on site.  Three square meals a day at the cafeteria, and cookie cabinets in the control room, sustained the necessary scientific and extracurricular endeavors.

The residencia at Paranal, an oasis in the desert.

I only had the opportunity to spend one night at Paranal, but I enjoyed very much the first-hand account of how a major observatory operates.  A successful observatory seems to depend equally on human and technical capital.  Paranal certainly does have cutting edge telescopes, with multi-ton structures, perfectly polished mirrors and precise lasers.  To make all of this function, it also has trained personnel from many countries (in this case, mostly Europe and of course Chile), who are passionate about their work and their working environment.  ALMA is one degree more international, considering that ESO, which runs Paranal, is one of three partners, including North America and East Asia, in collaboration with Chile.  In the control room or cafeteria at these observatories, it's not uncommon to hear several languages, or to strike up conversations about careers and experiences around the world.

Although my day-job usually finds me staring at a computer screen in a more urban office environment, my experiences at observatories, often in foreign countries and among remarkable landscapes, remind me of the multi-faceted lure of astronomy, which I consider the greatest example of international relations and scientific endeavor.