Education and outreach activities for the general public

ALMA organizes talks in various schools and public places such as San Cristóbal hill, located in the center of Santiago. It holds an open house in its main headquarters on Astronomy Day, participates in school festivals organized by the Ministry of Science’s Explora program, and disseminates its results through social networks such as Instagram and Facebook, and also media.

Furthermore, astronomers interact regularly with the public through visits to the observatory. ALMA has a visitor center in its facilities in northern Chile, with free guided tours every weekend, departing from San Pedro de Atacama. Nearly 7 thousand people visit ALMA yearly.

The major attraction generated by astronomy in people of all ages makes it an extremely valuable tool in education, leveraging student interest in science and technology, undoubtedly one of the most important investments in the future of any country.

ALMA thereby contributes to the development of scientific awareness of the general public, as well as to the positioning of the area of San Pedro de Atacama as one of the main tourist attractions of Chile, establishing Chile as the undisputed astronomical capital of the world in the long term.