APEX: The Atacama Pathfinder Experiment

Desert Eco-Lodge Alto Atacama 

The day starts early: too early for me. The reason? No, sadly not because of astronomy - rather, it is Adam
Donneky, the Director from In House Films who has a tendency to snore... quite loudly. Not helped by the plentiful and incredible Chilean red consumed the night previously - we enjoyed some superb hospitality at the desert lodge Hotel Alto Atacama. Wonderful fresh local ingredients like quinoa, chanar syrup, charquicán, purple potatoes, algarrobo... Amazing, and all with a backdrop of the desert and cliffs! However, after the snoring I am edging toward thoughts of torture - thankfully I resist the urge to dispense with Adam and turn my thoughts to
meeting researchers at APEX and discussing sub-millimetre
astronomy in depth.

The theory: all things emit radiation, even clouds of cold gas. APEX has superb resolution and can scan large areas of the sky quickly, looking for this radiation being emitted: cold regions of gas radiating energy. The intensity of the signal reveals how dense the emitting object is. These celestial objects could be a hydrogen-dense star-forming region or a proto-planetary disk, gravitationally attracting material as it forms a new planet.

Sub-millimetre astronomy is special! We look beyond the optical part of the light spectrum through which we "see" the Universe, investigating amongst other things, astrochemistry. The wavelengths are much longer and are often referred to as microwave radiation. One of the properties of microwave radiation is that it is readily absorbed by water. Microwave radiation excites water molecules and cause them to vibrate by transfer of energy, hmmm interesting, this is precisely why our microwave ovens are so successful at heating up food! Problem is: there is a lot of water in Earths' atmosphere, which absorbs the radiation before it can reach our telescopes.

The Chajnantor plateau in the shadow of APEX

Luckily, the higher you go up the less water there is... so this observatory is high: 5100 metres! It's spectacular, high on the Chajnantor plateau in Chile’s Atacama region. Set so high up, the telescopes here 'catch' the radiation from the Universe before it can be absorbed by moisture in the Earth's atmosphere, giving APEX a clear view into space. You can see some of what we experience in this video trailer from ESO!

Michael Dumke, Lead Astronomer at APEX

We arrive at the APEX control room and meet our host Michael Dumke, the lead astronomer at this incredible laboratory. APEX is the pre-cursor to ALMA with a 12m antenna concentrating in the sub-millimetre wavebands of light. The control facility is down in the valley floor, an ancient sea bed from prehistoric Earth. APEX sits in the bushes and shrubs and to me it feels like an eco holiday village in Atacama... quite different to some of the other ESO sites we've visited. I foolishly say this to Michael: oh dear! I'm forgiven though, and the tour continues to show me the seriousness of the research done here. Lots of interviews (you'll see these when the documentary is
released) and I also see a superb image of the
Horsehead Nebula stuck on the wall, in the sub
millimetre range... cooool (for a geek like me)!

The Horsehead Nebula in visible, infra red and microwave images (the final two)!

Now we head off to the antennae itself - to see first hand the APEX telescope! I am looking forward to

The APEX facility - spot the Moon!

getting up there - this is our second attempt as the first trip up to the 'high side' was foiled by a blizzard. Today however, the skies are beautifully clear! The 1 hour drive is spectaular, but very difficult because of the very low oxygen levels. We feel all sorts of strange physical effects: tiredness, sickness...

But on arrival we are met by Michael's staff and led into the control room which is oxygenated, ahh relief! After our briefing we head outside -  seeing the colour gradient in the blue of the sky was uniquely special. Smothered in UV 50 sunscreen we wander out to take pictures and conduct interviews.

Yes - it's a telescope!

Despite the sickness, the filming schedule and the pressure - I am in heaven. As we leave the facility, night starts to draw in and we stop to take pictures and film.The telescope, as you can see, is beautiful and we feel SO excited to be so close up!

As our conversations with Michael deepen it becomes apparent that just like a protoplanetary disk, we have 'accreted' another friend and plans are made for dinner that night in San Pedro de Atacama. Our group of 3 turns into 18...

ALMA and San Pedro de Atacama

The astrowagon in the Atacama...

ALMA and San Pedro de Atacama!


As you know, we have left the VLT at Paranal ... and next on our itinerary are the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment Telescope (APEX) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) near to the desert town of San Pedro de Atacama. So we set off once more in our astro-wagon for the foothills of the Andes...

ALMA finds early galaxies in the very young Universe!

So, to introduce these two incredible facilities... APEX operates only in the submillimeter range of the electromagnetic spectrum - the smaller wavelengths of light. It has a massive field of view, scanning the skies to find objects of interest in the Universe. One job of ALMA is to zoom in on objects found so that we can investigate them in more detail - it is the most ambitious and technologically advanced instrument on earth involving astronomical observations.

In case you're wondering what "millimeter/submillimeter range" means: it describes the size of the wavelengths of light. Using these instruments, we can see the cold matter in the Universe... the stuff which doesn't emit light and so it's not much of a stretch to say that APEX and ALMA help us to see things in our Universe which are invisible to the human eye! Boy was I going to remember this place…

The Observatory at the Tierra Atacama, our
heavenly basecamp for 6 nights at
San Pedro de Atacama!

Anyway a bit about San Pedro first: a bohemian town full of charm and backpackers! With muddy roads, dried under the hot desert sun and shops selling Alpaca jumpers and scarfs with a multitude of colours, tourists throng around planning desert adventures. As I arrive, it is dark and pouring with rain. I turn up one way dirt roads, get lost, am met by the local police who in no uncertain terms turn this gringo around… 2 hours later we find our hotel. After 7 days sharing a campervan with the film crew, I am about to have a bed to sleep in, a shower to wash in... could this be true?! We stay at the Tierra Atacama, a beautiful and eco-friendly hotel with a minimum-impact policy. Interested in our message of astronomy outreach and in our documentary, they offer us a deal which suits our charity budget, we can hardly believe it as we stroll through the gardens. We discover plants which they have grown in the deset soil... a small orchard, a vegetable garden and a medicinal herb garden as well as several fields of alfalfa and other crops. We swim in the infinity pool, gazing out at FIVE volcanoes. And I spot a little Observatory!

Next morning, we are well rested and off to ALMA however we were not expecting what happened next… the Atacama desert is the driest place on Earth and it very rarely rains: last time was 2 years ago, hmm and also the day I arrived! Not just the unlikely rain however - when we ascend to the summit 5,100m above sea level, we had a a blizzard, a total white out! I couldn't see a thing at all, there was a blanket of white, so we have a quick look around and see the 50 spectacular 12m diameter antennas and additional compact array of 7m and 12m diameter antennas. This is a little bit like seeing a 16km field of view into the Universe!

She said YES!!!

As the snow builds, we have to leave. But before we go, our executive producer Dr David Murphy chooses this spectacular and romantic location to propose to his girlfriend, and she says yes! We all celebrate before we head off... I was gasping for breath: at this altitude it is not easy to breathe and boy do you feel it. I especially at this stage am starting to feel quite low, exhausted from our filming schedule and the altitude. I have to admit I am even starting to crave coming home - so strange because I know this is the professional outreach project of a lifetime. I'm sure it's the altitude effects, but it's really hard...

Dr Andreas Lundgren

We hit base camp and meet some great scientists. I wake up enough to film interviews with some of them. Dr Andreas Lundgren is the Deputy Lead of the Programme Manager Group at ALMA and his PhD was in theoretical astrophysics. I feel slightly intimidated but Andreas was fantastic - approachable and fascinating. He tells me about the future of ALMA... the antennae will eventually spread out across the Chajnantor plateau, providing a large aperture instrument capable of seeing through the vast regions of cold dark gas: the gas which normally obscures visible light from objects like galaxies and star forming regions.

Base Camp at ALMA...with snow-topped
mountains in the background.

After a tour of the facility, we pause to get our breath back and some lunch we are met by Valerie who is a bubbly happy lady (a common theme happy people I mean…) who tells us that we are allowed to come back the following day to try again and visit the site, this time hopefully in better weather conditions!

VISTA at the VLT

Off to the VLT for more filming and my planned trip to the VISTA Observatory! I am excited as Valentina arrives to take us up there. It is a short hop from the VLT and I am about to see my favourite instrument.   We arrive at the facility after a 5 minute drive and I am met by Gerhard Hudephl, a technician and engineer, a German engineer who has the awful task of keeping this as well as VLT running... I feel quickly that he is such a great guy, who will hopefully be a friend for life.

VISTA!!

I am taken to the dome where the telescope lives and I see it for the first time. 

WOW!!

It’s a phenomenal piece of engineering: a 4 meter-diameter mirror operating at f1 (translation: FAST!). VISTA is used for wide field surveys in the near infra red range of the electromagnetic spectrum and as an instrument, it is without doubt the most incredible thing I have ever seen. A huge eye on the sky, it is technologically advanced, a masterpiece of engineering. I guess this trip has taught me that the level of engineering on these locations is incredible and without the engineers - nothing happens. 

We film for a while and while I do love facing the camera, all I can concentrate on is my imminent departure from VLT Paranal. I stay a while longer and marvel at the scopes one more time… oh and pose for a picture of course :)

Good bye, VLT...

Bags packed: off we go, we say our goodbyes and Valentina waves us off. As I prepare myself for the long journey north to ALMA and APEX as well as San Pedro de Atacama, I think long about what I have just seen, the huge giant telescopes of the VLT, the incredible VISTA (my favourite) and pinch myself, the people however have left the biggest impression on me. I will be back.

Astrophotography at the VLT

After a night of astrophotography with the VLT as a backdrop I decide it is time for more astro-porn…in the shape of VISTA (Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy). 

Before that, however, it is time to do a little bit more with the VLT… what a difficult life! During breakfast I listen to Pink Floyd as I look out at the imposing telescopes on the hill. 

Remembering the night before: it was a splendid night observing. One of the many challenges I faced was polar aligning my telescope and Astrotrac in the southern hemisphere. In the Northern hemisphere we usually set the telescope using Polaris (the Northern Pole Star).

Here in the Southern hemisphere, the usual method is to use Sigma Octantis, the Southern Pole Star: but it isn't very bright and with little experience of the Southern skies, I found no obvious stars to align by. Instead I used what is called a 'drift method', which was hard - very hard. After a couple of hours I managed to get my kit reasonably well polar aligned. 

The galactic centre, with the telescopes of the
VLT in the foreground. How lucky am I...

My first target was Rho Ophuicus, a superb target for astrophotographers, the giant star Antares sits in the middle of this beautiful part of the sky and close by is the distant globular cluster M4. Dark nebulae snaked across the sky. With the tail of Scorpius swaying away across the backdrop of the galactic centre, it was an incredible sight.  I remembered the ancient civilisations who carved the petroglyphs at La Silla observatory, they saw not the light, but the dark. To them the dark nebulae was the Lama, and the star Alpha Centauri was the eye of the lama. Always we look to the sky.

Back to this morning, however! From the Residencia, we enter the VLT control room and I am met by Julien. He is a resident French astronomer at the VLT, and serves 135 nights a year. He is away from his family 135 nights per year, but he is not deterred as he loves his job, a passion that runs through this place for sure. 

We set up a live web cast to home!! The Kielder Observatory and to the UK, it doesn't work brilliantly as we are using wi-fi and the signal goes when I try to go outside with the web-cam, anyway we continue to broadcast and we have followers! It works, even if only briefly, and we show viewers the telescopes and the future E-ELT control room. Here you see Valentina and I chatting to followers about the Control Room. If you joined us, thank you! 

I am once more shown around the control room and am overwhelmed at the sight of the station for the new planned 39m E-ELT (European Extremely Large Telescope)... all ready to control this behemoth of a telescope. Thing is, it’s not built yet and it will take 10 years or more until it is. But... it’s coming and its VERY big, it will dwarf the enormous unit telescopes here at Paranal. I venture outside and can see the road that snakes up the hill to Cerro Armazones, where the telescope will live,. It’s exciting to think that science continues to search for answers and is not afraid to be daring and build bigger and better instruments. To be here is quite an honour.

Twilight at the auxiliary telescopes of the VLT

Night starts to draw in and the sun starts to set, and as usual all the scientists gather outside to see the spectacle, I turn and look in the opposite direction and see the sky turn pink and lavender again, its unrivalled in the natural beauty it reveals. I put away the camera so I can watch the sunset instead of a screen... I see the shadow of the hill in which I and the VLT is standing, but the shadow casts way off into the distance and falls on the hill where the E-ELT will be built: pure poetry.

The VLT: a lifetime dream realised...

Valentina and I at the VLT Residencia

The day started in with glaring sunshine as my first trip up to the VLT summit dawned. I met my host for the trip, Valentina. She is inspirational to me: a local Chilean who is as passionate as I am about astronomy. I sat through the Health and safety briefings with butterflies in my stomach and then the film crew prepared themselves for the trip up to the VLT. I still can hardly believe I am here, I WAS AT THE VLT PARANAL!

I gather what I need: maybe the only time I have ever worn an arctic-grade puffa jacket together with desert-grade sunglassses! We jump into the van, the camera crew at-the-ready: we have no idea what was to come but this is the fulfillment of a lifetime dream for me. As we start the ascent onto the hill, I am reaching fever pitch... The van winds around the bends as we approach the telescopes and with the Residencia left behind, we approach the final bend and I get my first glimpse of UT1. It is HUGE, towering into the sky like a sentient being, grand and fine, dominating its space... alive. We park and enter the control room. I feel like an intruder, my fear and internal process has me bound with fear. It doesn’t last though! I meet Roger, an astronomer from the UK and my fear disappears as he says “Ah, the Kielder Observatory! So that’s you, is it? Welcome!" At that point I feel like part of the team... he has recognised a fellow astronomer and in my own small way the contribution I make is being recognised!

I have always felt like astronomers are a special breed, united in our childlike fascination of all things in the Universe. This feeling was to be confirmed in the following 2 days. Roger says, ”So, you wanna see 'em?” My knees trembled, I know what he means: “Shall we go to the platform?” Oh WOW I am about to see the telescopes for real... ! We walk through the corridor to the door that leads up a small flight of metal stairs, to the platform, the film crew are as nervous I am, then I see them, I see it, I see it all, I pause at the top of the stairs and freeze to the spot...

WOW.
 

A huge platform the size of 4 football fields: to my left the 4 unit telescopes, silver, shining and glimmering in the intense desert sunshine, reaching high into the sky 30 stories high, I am stunned, I don’t know which way to walk, to me I am at the greatest place on earth. I feel incredibly emotional (OK let’s move on...). Valentina just looks at me: she doesn't have to say a word we both know. I turn to my right and see the VLTi, the interferometer array of 4 auxiliary telescopes 1.8m in aperture, on a track system, with clamshell brilliant white domes, the whole place was overwhelming.

Adam, the director from In House Films and now a great friend, says “Right Gary, how do you feel?" a camera in my face... I said “What? WHAT?!” I walk off and take 30 minutes to myself and sat down with my back against a little metal barrier, my back towards the Residencia, maybe 300 m from the telescopes, this was my spot at the VLT, I sit and just look, from my little spot I can see it all, I am here, me Gary Fildes, an ex-brickie from Sunderland, here at the VLT Paranal Chile. My thoughts turn to my family, my beautiful children who I miss, my whole life seemed to be present with me, I think about my ex–wife, mam, dad, the lady I love with all my heart and soul, volunteers at the Observatory... I start to say their names, so that they can be here too. I have to admit I did cry, but so what I am here and it feels incredible. I sit for a little while longer.

Here comes David with his camera...

Valentina asks if I would like to go and see UT3, called MELIPAL, the Southern Cross. I go inside the structure and am dumbstruck at what I see. This telescope is 8.2 m in aperture, it weighs more than a jumbo jet, enormous. The thing that strikes me is the scale and level of engineering that goes into a beast of an instrument like this… then it started to move, nearing the time for observations. The scope starts to whirr and the motors breathe, it is moving toward me… Before the aperture on the structure is opened the scope has to be tilted down to 90 degrees so nothing can fall onto the primary mirror. It stops and is pointing straight at me, looking at me, it feels for a second we are connected, this incredible eye for humanity into the universe  looking at me! Well, I can dream! Then the dome opens its enormous shutters and the scope is ready for observations. I leave, as only the telescope operator can be inside during observations. I turn to look at it as I leave, I know I will one day see it again.

How hard it is to capture the experience of an incredible sunset...

We leave the structure and wander outside, I see Roger and meet many of the staff, gathered outside, I am thinking to myself, what is happening…? Then it hits me, the  sky is pink, lavender, golden, the most incredible mix of colour imaginable... the sky is huge and alive it is breathing, I can only stare at it, we all can, just marvel at the sheer breath-taking beauty of nature, I see God... we are so high up that the horizon is more than 180 degrees, a richly coloured dome, alive.



At this point I can see why people have faith, but THIS is my God, spiritual and physical, elements and light, it is science and the universe, I am alive, goose pimples run up and down my body, the sun is setting. The sky turned from blue to purple to lavender, a thin crescent moon, Venus and Jupiter join our gathering, I LOVE THE UNIVERSE!!!

Waking up at the VLT

OMG I AM AT THE VLT... !

Sunset at the VLT

After a wonderful nights observing under the darkest skies I have ever seen, I wake up disoriented… my room, you see, is 2,400ft above sea level and I am at the VLT! 

I remember watching the sun set behind the four 8m diameter telescopes... magical. 

After sunset, we were granted access to the SCIENCE! The VLT is responsible for more scientific papers than any other... Scientists studiously viewing multiple computer screens, waiting for a signal that will ignite them into action. I talked to Veronica, a Belgian scientist who was studying a star in the giant globular cluster Omega Centauri. The star was pulsating and she was taking data… but what for? 

Playing in our Universe

Well, that’s research, right? By studying the nature of how things work, we become aware and empowered to live well and in harmony. For me, education is about furthering knowledge: Veronica was doing just that, pure research, finding out what is real. Science: a tool for making sense of what we see in the Universe.

The view from my room in the Residencia as I awake...

Anyway, that was last night and now it's morning again! I stumble out of bed and draw the curtains, I laugh out loud. My eyes are still fat and sleepy but I can see out  over 100miles into the Andes mountain range, a BIG blue sky envelopes us all and wraps up the earth beneath, I am amazed at what I can see, it is so beautiful, my vocabulary can't express the feelings I have. I didn’t think the day could get any better than this and I wanted Sarah to be here with me so she could see it too. But that day had only had just begun and it was about to deliver my best experience to date.

Hernan, my, host arrives and I tell him about my problems: although I am lucky enough to escape into this desert playground I know the technological world is still there waiting to hear from me! I need to tell all about what is happening, but I can't because of poor internet connection. We try to establish contact but my laptop will not play ball, I have no idea why, I feel angry and frustrated that I cannot post my blog or send pictures to you all...(nb I'm adding this note a few days later - you are probably reading this a few days late!). I realise this is a compromise that I (and you, sorry!) will have to live with for now anyway.

Onwards: breakfast is served! I arrive into the  retro-futuristic style dining area and am greeted by chefs who give me fruit salad and orange juice: just what I need after days of BBQs and eating on the road. After breakfast, I set my camera on charge ready for the night's observing... and set off with Hernan on a tour of the whole facility... 





More of this to come! One thing affecting us in a way we weren't expecting: the altitude plus a 16-hour filming schedule is EXHAUSTING. We are looking forward to R & R at the eco-hotel Tierra Atacama who are hosting us for a few days :)

Waking up in the Atacama... half way to the VLT!

The day started in awesome style, again. I awake to find that I had parked the astro-wagon in between 2 volcanoes the night previously. Having stopped in thick fog, I had no idea where I had ended up at all. As I awake after a midnight BBQ, the sight is incredible. All around are volcanic remnants of ages long gone, pyroclastic flows once traversed through the park where I slept, what’s left was the environment I awoken to. Steep rocky hill sides left and right with a flat road in between, it was silent and cool, I can imagine T-Rex wandering up here!

The task in hand: get to VLT Paranal "The world's most advanced optical light astronomical observatory" ASAP!!! I am gripped and excited…off we go and as always, drama was not far away. As we creep north away from the last night, we mistakenly think that we have enough fuel, but we are wrong. It looks as if we are going to be stranded in the desert with no way of contacting anyone... stuck on the Pan American highway. I slow the van down to a crawl and hope for the best, we climb and climb and climb and I cannot free wheel at all. As the needle descends below the red line, I know we are in trouble. We are aiming for a town called Taltal which has a filling station, but we can't get another 5 km at best, while Taltal is 22km away. A no brainer... we are knackered. 

Plans are being hatched as to what we do in the event of getting stranded without fuel. Then we see the sign to Taltal, sure enough its 22km away, however we have climbed for 2 hours and MIRACLE!! Taltal is on the coast, it has to be at sea level!! we start to roll and roll and roll and 22km later we roll in to the fuel station, a dead stick dry as a bone, amazed at our good fortune. I know the day is looking up!

First sight...

Off we go with a full tank 1.5 hours from Paranal. Finally we spot it at the top of a hill and we stop to take in the first sight! As we climb through the clouds and see a sign  to ESO, we turn left, drive up the track... excitement builds as we pull around a steep corner!! My eyes are bulging from my head as I see it for the first time, a majestic shining tower of human capabilities. VLT Paranal: I have arrived. 

We are met at the gate, I’m excited I want to go in!!! I tell the guard my name; his English is worse than my Spanish, but the message is clear, Gary who? I start to sink, is this all a mistake... what’s happening? 

The guard hands me a telephone, on the other end is Reception and she can speak English. She confirms my worst fears - I am a day early…argghhhhh!!!! But at least, I think, I can still go in... just a day later than I have arrived. But this is ESO they are incredible, they let us in and find us a room in the scientists home (and James Bond set!) the fantastic Residencia. I am in!

The Residencia is amazing, climatically controlled with a pool and plants everywhere, the humidity is high, it feels so futuristic. We are not allowed onto the summit until tomorrow when our guide Valentina arrives to show us around. So what to do now? A fantastic shower... with an exciting discovery on the bath towels :) Dinner, the food is superb and very welcome...night falls…

We venture outside and the sky is knockout and on the summit of the hill we see the VLT platform and suddenly out shoots a green laser into the sky, the laser guide star was turned on, I was here, me Gary Fildes at the VLT Paranal Chile.