Chile Guide
El Norte Chico
Cerro Mamalluca observatory
Opening time: Administrative office Mon– Sat 9am–10pm, Sun 10am–10pm; Observatory tours Oct– April 8.30pm, 10.30pm & half past midnight; May– Sept 6.30pm & 8.30pm
Address: 
51/411352 
411255 
www.mamalluca.org 
observatorio@mamalluca.org
Price: CH$3500 for two-hour evening tours
Nine kilometres northeast of Vicuña, the CERRO MAMALLUCA OBSERVATORY, built specifically for public use, is run by the Municipalidad de Vicuña and features a 30-centimetre Smith-Cassegrain telescope donated by the Cerro Tololo team. The two-hour evening tours start with a high-tech audiovisual talk on the history of the universe, and end with the chance to look through the telescope. If you're lucky, you might see a dazzling display of stars, planets, galaxies, nebulas and clusters, including Jupiter, Saturn's rings, the Orion nebula, the Andromeda galaxy and Sirius. These tours are aimed at utter beginners, but serious astronomers can arrange in-depth, small-group sessions (US$100) with two months' notice. The observatory also runs less scientific, alternative tours known as "cosmovisión", complete with Andean music – ask at the offices for more details. Assemble half an hour before the scheduled slot at the observatory's administrative office in Vicuña, at Gabriela Mistral 260, from where transport is provided to Cerro Mamalluca (CH$1500 return); reservations are essential, either by phone, fax, email or in person at the office. If you have your own transport you must still report to the offices, to confirm and pay for your reservation and to follow the minibus in a convoy.