AstroDay Chile 2018
More than 3,000 participants enjoyed the
activities and exhibitions featured during As-
troDay Chile 2018 in mid-March. Coordinated
by Gemini South’s Public Information Office,
the event includes the Association of Univer-
sities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) and
the Municipality of La Serena as key part-
ners. This year, staff from all of the major pro-
fessional observatories and tourist facilities
from the Coquimbo Region converged at
the Seminario Conciliar School of La Serena,
Chile, for a day of astronomical fun.
Top: Gemini Information Systems Engineer
Eduardo Toro explains the features of Gemini’s
Base Facility Operations, using a small robotics kit
at the Gemini booth during AstroDay Chile 2018.
Students, families, and other members of
the public joined in a wide-variety of ac-
tivities — ranging from science workshops,
lectures, and 3D cinema, to the launch-
ing of water rockets and public stargazing,
among other events. Public participation in
this celebration of astronomy far exceeded
our expectations. The images here illustrate
some of the activities… and the fun we had.
Thanks to everyone who shared their time
and passion for astronomy, especially with
the kids and their families.
Janice Harvey is the Community Outreach and
Education Programs Leader at Gemini North.
She can be reached at: [email protected]
Manuel Paredes is the Communications Coor-
dinator at Gemini South. He can be reached at:
[email protected]
Middle: Rodrigo Zelada, North Optics
company owner, paying attention to his
telescope’s solar filter, while a group of
students enjoy observing the Sun.
Children participating in a spectroscopy
workshop (offered by Cerro Tololo
Inter-American Observatory’s Outreach
Coordinator Juan Seguel) use handheld
spectroscopes to learn about the
properties of light.
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GeminiFocus
January 2019 / 2018 Year in Review