Following the 2017 SDSS Collaboration Meeting, a small number of the scientists in attendance travelled to La Serena, to the North of Santiago, to participate in a trip to Las Campanas, where the APOGEE-2S instrument has been installed on the Irene du Pont Telescope. We made our own way to La Serena (by plane, or overnight bus) and met at 9.30am in the La Serena Plaza del Arms to travel to Las Campanas together.
We started our journey under thick cloud, but quickly climbed out of it for spectacular views of the Chilean Andes.
Finally Las Campanas is visible in the distance (spot the speck on the mountain).
Las Campanas is just visible as a speck on a mountain to the right of centre. Credit: Karen Masters, SDSS.
We arrived at Las Campanas around lunchtime, for a quick meal, before touring both the Irene du Pont Telescope, and the Clay 6.5 Meter Telescope (one of the two Magellan Telescopes).
Both the Magellan Telescope (right) and the du Pont Telescope (left) on Las Campanas. Credit: Karen Masters, SDSS.
We were of course especially interested to see the APOGEE infrastructure, now installed in the Irene du Pont Telescope.
Plug plate storage at the du Pont Telescope. Credit: Karen Masters, SDSS.
The APOGEE-2S Instrument. Credit: Karen Masters, SDSS
Then it was back to La Serena to head out many different ways home. Scientists from as far apart as China, Mexico, the UK, Chile and the USA had joined the trip and enjoyed visiting one of the observatories used by SDSS together.
Group shot outside the du Pont Telescope.