Collowara Observatory is one of the newest tourist observation centers in Chile. It is situated near the town of Andacollo, in the Fourth Region. It is located at 1300 mts. above sea level on the summit of Cerro Churqui and it is administratd by the Municipality of Andacollo.
A team of professional experts in astronomy developed this complex with modern infrastructure, observation equipment and a beautiful architectural line.
The center has in its main observation dome a 14-inch Cassigrain Smith telescope, , with a screening and conference room for up to 54 people, three terraces of direct cross-shaped observation towards the east, from where we can see at a distance the Tololo and Gemini Observatories. There, we can find two automatic 10-inch Smith Newtonian telescopes and a 16-inch Dobsonian
telescope.
The Tour
The visit to the Collowara Observatory takes about 2 hours, from the moment you leave the office until you return to your starting point. They have specialized guides, supported by audio-visual rooms showing the skies live. Then, you move on to the terraces where there are 3 telescopes to see the planets and constellations, and you finally end up at the central dome.