The Observatory of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) La Silla, which is less than 400 miles from Santiago, was one of those who suffered a deadly earthquake that occurred on Wednesday off the coast of central Chile.
In Chile, there are some of the most advanced observatories on the planet, as they are located in a region where astronomically very valuable sky.
On Wednesday, a powerful earthquake of magnitude 8, 3 points (according to the US Geological Survey) struck the coast of central Chile, killing at least 8 people and evacuating more than a million people from coastal areas after a tsunami warning. Of course, tsunami waves hit the Chilean coast, and tidal waves associated with the earthquake were observed along the shores of California and to the Hawaiian Islands.
When the authorities calculated the damage caused by this earthquake, the European Southern Observatory (ESO), the organization that manages the number of observatories in Chile, issued a statement regarding the situation after an earthquake at its sites.
Although the epicenter of the earthquake was at some distance from the Atakam Big Millimeter / submillimeter Grid - a huge interferometer consisting of sixty-six 12th (39 ft) and 7th (23 ft) radio antennas located in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile - La Silla ESO Observatory is located less than 400 miles from Santiago and less than 200 miles north of the epicenter west of Illapel. “The earthquake was very strongly felt at Santiago and at the La Silla Observatory,” writes the ESO press release. “However, there were no casualties among the ESO staff and no major problems were found on La Silla where the telescope checks are continuing.”
The Gemini Telescope (South Telescope), which is not far from La Serena and closer to the epicenter, is also shocked, but according to Fredrik T. Rantakyro, the acting head of the scientific operations, the staff and equipment in the observatory are in order, but some of the anchorage telescope.
“The first inspection of the telescope and installations, which was done after the earthquake, did not reveal anything obvious, but it was decided to spend the night on it,” said Rantakyro in the Facebook update. “After carefully checking the telescope today, it was discovered that the telescope was shifted on an azimuth platform. The telescope will stay closed at the weekend and next week. ”
“Next week, all the damage will be fixed, and then we will be able to better assess the extent of the damage and the steps necessary to restore the telescope to a working state.”
In 2010, 8, 8-magnitude earthquake, one of the most powerful earthquakes in history, devastated vast areas of Chile, killing more than 500 people.
