Take part in the Open Day 2025! 

Celebrate Astronomy Day in Chile with a unique and unforgettable experience! 

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and its partners, the European Southern Observatory (ESO), the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) of the United States, will celebrate Astronomy Day in Chile 2025 with an Open Day at the ALMA and ESO Vitacura campus on Friday, March 21. 

During the morning, invited schools will tour different stations with interactive and educational activities that will allow them to learn about the operation and discoveries of ALMA and its partners. 

In the afternoon, the event will be open to the previously registered public (limited places) from 16:00 to 20:00 hrs. 

Highlighted activities 

Among the unmissable experiences of the day, you will be able to enjoy Solar Observation, where AUI/NRAO astronomers will guide an exploration of the Sun through specialized telescopes. You will also be able to visit the ALMA Control Room, where the observatory antennas are operated, and participate in interactive activities such as creating a comet, making an astronomical work that glows in the dark with the artist Silvana Zúñiga (@Animahop), or printing iconic images of the ESO and ALMA telescopes at the Serigraphy Printing Station with @serigrafiainstantanea. 

If you want to explore more about the cosmos, you can immerse yourself in virtual reality with the Explore ALMA in Virtual Reality experience, build your own telescope in a special workshop, or connect live with the Control Room of the Paranal Observatory in Antofagasta. In addition, there will be fascinating astronomy talks and lectures by experts such as Joseph Anderson, who will talk about building telescopes to search for life on other planets, and Theodoro Nakos, who will speak about ALMA and the James Webb Telescope.

Also, children who came with an astronomical related costume, will be rewarded with a surprise gift!

Don't miss this unique opportunity to get up close to the Universe in a fun and educational way! 

Registration 

Access will be exclusive to those previously registered through Welcu (the page will be active on March 17). Places will be released on different dates and times to allow more people the opportunity to attend: 

• Monday, March 17, 4:00 p.m. 

• Tuesday, March 18, 11:00 a.m. 

• Wednesday, March 19, 10:00 a.m. 

• Thursday, March 20, 1:00 p.m. 

Additional information

ALMA is a partnership of ESO (representing its member states), NSF (USA) and NINS (Japan), together with NRC (Canada), NSTC and ASIAA (Taiwan), and KASI (Republic of Korea), in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. The Joint ALMA Observatory is operated by ESO, AUI/NRAO and NAOJ.

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