atacama

From space, we observe a brown austral stain carried by planet earth: a vast expanse of land where there’s not one degree of moisture. In Chile, the Atacama desert is perched 3000 meters above the sea. In vehement dryness, the majestic Andean range rises and her people with her. In inclement altitude, the peaks of her volcanoes touch the reaches of the universe. The transparency of Atacama’s nocturnal sky summons the astronomers of the world to build the world’s largest satellite on its dusty soils. From Chile’s skies, science wonders: where do we come from?