October 22 – November 2, 2008 with David Spergel '82. Be among the first to see the Atacama Cosmology Telescope.

Princeton researchers have long been in the forefront of theoretical space exploration. Take it to the next level yourself and examine the night skies and the immense tools that astrophysicists are using to plumb the depths of the universe. Join your fellow Princetonians on a special-access journey to the Chilean highlands, October 22 – November 2, 2008, where the air is clear and the skies are wide.

While our visit to Chile will be rich in culture and landscape, the highlight of our journey is a private tour of the newly constructed Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT), in the far north in the Chilean Altiplano. Online only since March 2007, the ACT is the pride of Princeton researchers and colleagues at numerous institutions. Spend time talking to researchers there and taking in the amazing views across the valleys and into wide open skies.

The vast Atacama is extraordinary in its beauty, lying at the base of the Andes. Included in our exploration of the landscape are visits to the great "Salar de Atacama," with its various species of flamingos; "El Tatio" with its show of gushing geysers; "Moon Valley" with its fantastic landscape caused by the erosion of salt mountain; and the "Termas de Puritana" hot springs for a chance to bathe in warm mineral waters. Through special permission we'll visit the amazing telescopes of Paranal, the Magellan Project at Las Campanas Observatory and El Tololo Observatory. The clear atmosphere and remote location provide opportunities for viewing the dark, vast night skies and we will have the chance to do so at public observatories and with private amateur scopes.

Please note: As ACT is at an elevation of over 16,000 feet, alternate activities at lower altitude will be planned for those not wishing to spend the afternoon at such heights.

About the Study Leader
David Spergel '82, the Charles A. Young Professor of Astronomy and Chair of Princeton’s Astrophysics Department, will serve as Study Leader for this program, giving the Princeton group the special access necessary to visit the Atacama Cosmology Telescope.

A theoretical astrophysicist with interests ranging from the search for planets around nearby stars to the shape of the universe, Professor Spergel is part of a group of scientists and engineers at Princeton University who are developing new technologies that have the intent "to enable direct imaging of earth-like planets around nearby stars." Professor Spergel received his undergraduate degree from Princeton in 1982 and his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1985. After two years as a long-term member at the Institute for Advanced Study, he joined the Princeton faculty in 1987. Professor Spergel was awarded the prestigious MacArthur fellowship in 2001 and was recently listed in Time Magazine as "one of America's top scientists."

To make reservations, fill out the form in the brochure or contact Princeton Journeys at (609) 258-8686 or journeys@princeton.edu.