Program guided tour the Observatory National Astronomical Observatory

IMPORTANT: Reservation for visiting our observatory are temporatly suspended. Contact us starting next week to know about reservations.

Observing the night sky with professional instruments, is an exciting experience and it is not necessary to leave Santiago.

Since 1960 the National Astronomical Observatory is located in the Cerro Calán (Las Condes), with the Department of Astronomy at the Universidad de Chile. Our graduate students are in charge to the guided tours for our observatory with the aim of bringing science to all people and have the opportunity to marvel at the mysteries of the universe.

Our program has two options tour:

Night Tour

Attendees will enjoy a guided tour of our historic telescopes, knowing its operation and use. They can also listen to a talk on astronomy basics, later giving way to the observation of the sky through the telescopes of the OAN.

It is important to note that the observation is performed only if the weather conditions permit, that is to say, only if the sky is clear and only visits are suspended in case of rain.

The activity is guided at all times by students of the graduate program at the Universidad de Chile.

The evening tours are held on Thursday at 19:30 hrs. (summer hours) and 19:00 hrs. (winter time), by reservation. Children under 15 must Attend With An adult.

The activity has a cost of $3.500 pesos per person (US$6 around).

The tour is suspended during the winter months (June to August).

Daytime Tour

Designed exclusively for schools, these visits are held Monday through Thursday in two schedules: 11-13 hrs. and 15-17 hrs.

The tour consists of a visit to the major telescopes of the department, a brief talk on basics of astronomy and observing the Sun with a solar telescope, only if the weather permits, that is, if the sky is clear.

This activity is aimed at children 8 years of age or older and the maximum number is 50 people per tour.

For more information go to www.oan.cl

The cost of the activity varies for municipal schools, subsidized or private.

For more information, write to comunicaciones@das.uchile.cl.