Llano de Chajnantor Observatory

#149 among destinations in Chile

Observatories and planetariums

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Llano de Chajnantor Observatory location map

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Llano de Chajnantor Observatory is the name for a group of astronomical observatories located at an altitude of over 4,800 m in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The site is in the Antofagasta Region approximately 50 kilometres east of the town of San Pedro de Atacama. The exceptionally arid climate of the area is inhospitable to humans, but creates an excellent location for millimeter, submillimeter, and mid-infrared astronomy. This is because water vapour absorbs and attenuates submillimetre radiation. Llano de Chajnantor is home to the largest and most expensive astronomical telescope project in the world, the Atacama Large Millimeter Array. Llano de Chajnantor and the surrounding area has been designated as the Chajnantor Science Reserve by the government of Chile. ()

Local name: Observatorios del Llano de Chajnantor Coordinates: 23°1'22"S, 67°45'18"W

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AntofagastaChile

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Day trips

Llano de Chajnantor Observatory – popular in the area (distance from the attraction)

Nearby attractions include: Purico complex, Atacama Cosmology Telescope, Atacama Pathfinder Experiment, University of Tokyo Atacama Observatory.

5 miN
Nature, Natural attraction, Volcano
Purico complex
129 min walk • The Purico complex is a Pleistocene volcanic complex in Chile close to Bolivia, formed by an ignimbrite, several lava domes and stratovolcanoes and one maar.
4.9 miNW
Observatories and planetariums
Atacama Cosmology Telescope
125 min walk • The Atacama Cosmology Telescope is a six-meter diameter telescope located on Cerro Toco in the Atacama Desert in the north of Chile, near the Llano de Chajnantor Observatory.
0.8 miNE
Park
Atacama Pathfinder Experiment
21 min walk • The Atacama Pathfinder Experiment is a radio telescope 5,064 meters above sea level, at the Llano de Chajnantor Observatory in the Atacama desert in northern Chile, 50 km east of San Pedro de Atacama built and operated by 3 European research institutes.
2.6 miN
Observatories and planetariums
University of Tokyo Atacama Observatory
67 min walk • The University of Tokyo Atacama Observatory is an astronomical observatory located on the summit of Cerro Chajnantor, at an altitude of 5,640 m within a lava dome in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile.
4.9 miNE
Observatories and planetariums
Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment
124 min walk • The Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment is a 10-meter-diameter antenna built by Mitsubishi Electric as a preprototype for ALMA. The ASTE was deployed to its site on Pampa La Bola, near Cerro Chajnantor and the Llano de Chajnantor Observatory in northern Chile.
4.9 miNW
Observatories and planetariums
Simons Observatory
125 min walk • The Simons Observatory is located in the high Atacama Desert in Northern Chile inside the Chajnator Science Preserve, at an altitude of 5,200 meters. The Atacama Cosmology Telescope and the Simons Array are located nearby and these experiments are currently making observations of the Cosmic Microwave Background.
5 miNE
Observatories and planetariums
NANTEN2 Observatory
127 min walk • The NANTEN2 Observatory is a southern sky observatory in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. It is located at an altitude of 4,800 m on Pampa la Bola next to Cerro Chajnantor.
5.4 miN
Natural attraction, Mountain, Volcano
Cerro Toco
139 min walk • Cerro Toco is a stratovolcano located in the eastern part of the Atacama desert in Chile's II Region, approximately 6 km south of the border between Bolivia and Chile and 12 km SE of the Juriques and Licancabur volcanoes.