Hold up. Vera C. Rubin Observatory was built at a latitude of 30° South (in Chile). So it means that the great telescope will never be able to see the portions of the sky above 30° North. That's quite sad. I wonder why didn't they build the observatory closer to the equator like in Peru instead?
Doormatty
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2h ago
A bunch of reasons.
Atmospheric stability - The Atacama Desert region is one of the driest places on Earth.
Number of clear nights - Cerro Pachón and nearby peaks offer 300+ clear nights a year
Low light pollution - The area is remote, reducing artificial light glow
Cerro Pachón is also host to other observatories like Gemini South and SOAR.
No such area exists in Peru.
GrandAdmiralCrunch
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2h ago
It was put there because the Atacama Desert in Chile is the clearest dark site in the world. No light pollution and no clouds or haze to get in the way.
The decision to place the LSST on Cerro Pachón follows a two-year campaign of in-depth testing and analysis of the atmospheric conditions and quality of astronomical “seeing” at four sites in Chile, Mexico, and the Canary Islands.
“Do not grow old, no matter how long you live. Never cease to stand like curious children before the Great Mystery into which we were born.” Albert Einstein
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