Big Astronomy
Senior Producer
California Academy of Sciences
Visualization Studio
Fulldome Film 2020
Narrated by Bárbara Rojas-Ayala
(in both English & Spanish)
Journey to three world-class observatories in Chile’s rugged Andes Mountains and arid Atacama Desert—remote, extreme regions that happen to have the perfect conditions for astronomical research. Along the way, you’ll meet an inspiring cast of astronomers, engineers, technicians, and support staff who keep these mega-machines running.
A computer simulation of the planetary disk PDS 70 reveals a gap where planets are taking shape, including one giant planet that appears to be forming moons of its own. | Z. Zhu (UNLV) / California Academy of Sciences
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory on the Cerro Pachón ridge in Chile will feature the largest digital camera ever constructed, designed to survey the entire visible sky every few nights. | California Academy of Sciences
The Victor M. Blanco Telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) features a four-meter primary mirror (at bottom) the reflects light into the Dark Energy Camera (mounted at top). | California Academy of Sciences
The Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) is home to 35 telescopes at an altitude of 2,200 meters (7,200 feet), including the four-meter Victor M. Blanco Telescope located in the largest dome. | California Academy of Sciences
A computer simulation of the Beta Pictoris system shows a diffuse dust disk that has been warped by the gravitational influence of a giant planet (orbit in blue) close to the parent star. | E. Nesvold (Universe Sandbox) / M. Kuchner (NASA GSFC) / California Academy of Sciences
Jacqueline Seron, Assistant Observer at the Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory (CTIO), prepares the Victor M. Blanco Telescope for a night of observations. | California Academy of Sciences
The 8.1-meter mirror of the Gemini Observatory on Cerro Pachón receives its weekly cleaning. | California Academy of Sciences
The center of the Milky Way Galaxy rises above the Chilean landscape, reflected in the still waters of the Ojos de Salar in the Atacama Desert. | California Academy of Sciences
An array of 62 CCDs makes up the imaging element of the Dark Energy Camera mounted on the Victor M. Blanco Telescope at the Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory (CTIO). | DES Collaboration / California Academy of Sciences
About the production…