From CTIO, across the desert, to La Silla...

I awake this morning to the incredible realisation that I am in the residences at CTIO… my eyes ping open and I start to recall the night before. As I don't have enough words to describe what I saw...

Gazing into the centre of our home galaxy, the Milky Way

 My memories of the night feel like a daze, so much to take in and so much to remember to tell. Also there is the prospect of what lies ahead…

We stroll in for breakfast only to find we have missed it and after a leak in the toilet was quickly dealt with by Tito, we were on our way. I pass in to see the technicians and thank them for their help. 

Next on the list is La Silla on the edge of the Atacama Desert - a very special place. 

Before we can make the 4 hour drive north to La Silla, we have to get online, load up images, update twitter and regain contact with the outside world so we can manage the technical demands of our trip. We arrive at our regular internet café and order food... after filling up, posting tweets, uploading pictures... we are off! Adam sits in the back of the camper van planning the next bit of filming and Glenn plays with cameras as we start the journey north. What a journey it is! Have you ever driven in South America? I hadn’t... I did not expect this. 40ft trucks playing 'chicken' with each other as they tear through the Chilean countryside, desolate and wild, with honking horns and gesticulating terrified gringos: not a place for the faint-hearted.

First sight of La Silla!

As we pass out of the green areas around La Serena, we are greeted by the desert, 'open' is not a word sufficient to describe what we saw... all trace of humanity appeared eradicated, only sand and rocks and bad roads. We take in the silence and vastness, experiencing the the edge of the abyss. 

And in the distance I can see white silver shiny buildings that look familiar... La Silla is beckoning. Off we go on the track with bumps and dust and anticipation. As we climb the hill to La Silla we experience a sunset... a sight to behold and never forget, I never will... the sunset casting hues of pink and blue, I had no idea that even a sunset could be so beautiful. It was breathtaking - at this altitude of 2,400m we feel as if we are in space. 

The New Technology Telescope at La Silla
http://www.eso.org/sci/facilities/lasilla/telescopes/ntt.html

Reaching the summit at La Silla we are greeted by our host Hernando, a lawyer writer who holds tours in between his science writing. Hernando is a true gentleman and self-confessed lover of all things astronomical, and is on a mission to tell me about the history of astronomy in Chile. He tells me about the “Lama” constellation, not made from stars but instead dark nebulae, that the ancient peoples saw in the sky. I ask for more and Hernando duly obliges, a mine of information on ancient and contemporary folklore.

Time for SCIENCE however! I enter the control room to loud music and the smell of research… young scientists are abound in here and they are using some very sophisticated instruments. I'm absorbed as we talk and I distract the team by quizzing them for information as they search the Universe for new data. A superb insight to the working life of astronomers. I am invited back throughout the night, but I prefer standing under the blanket of stars... taking it all in and realising: this is the best sky I have ever seen in my life. So I set up my camera and take astrophotographs until 7:30am! Its late... I'm tired and am now in my room in the hotel, which is covered and adorned in astronomical pictures. 

From my south facing room I open the curtains after turning off the lights and I can see Eta carinae in the inky black sky, a perfect cue for sleep before tomorrow's journey back into the desert... Heading for the VLT Paranal. 

A couple of nights out of contact...Good night and goodbye for a couple of days zzzzzz…