The magnetic center of the universe

Valle del Elqui, Chile (Jan 13, 2006)

After I finished my observing run in Chile I spent a few days in the area around La Serena. One day I drove along the coast, ending up in a remote area with prehistoric petroglyphs. Another day I climbed the Andes amid vineyards until the road become an unpaved path, and finally a narrow trail on a steep slope (at which point my survival instincts prevailed and I started the non-obvious task of looking for a place where to make an U-turn). The mountains in that part of the Andes are really striking, showing all the shades of colors that geology is able to produce, without of any vegetation that in other climates would cover their slopes. The contrast with the bright green of the vineyards at the bottom of the valleys is the image of the trip that will remain longer in my mind.

The photo was taken in the Valle del Elqui. Apart for the vineyards and the astronomical observatories (Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachon) sporting one of the largest telescopes in the world (Gemini South, with its 8 meter primary mirror), the valley has the highest measured geomagnetism, making it a famous new age destination (and I did find a hippy community in Cochiguaz, just before the end of the road).