observatorio del pangue

The description you give of the observing session do not correspond to our programme, as can be easily checked by reading all other reviews. Because the groups are so limited (10 persons per night only) we are allowed to propose a large list of targets, usually over 12, that necessarily includes "original ones", such as planetary nebulae, supernova remnant, colliding galaxies, not forgetting the Homunculus Nebula at high magnification... Also, our telescope can't be in any way considered as basic: the 16 inches Meade RC is the largest available size in mass production market, and the selection of state-of-the-art eyepieces makes the views much greater than other places. Lastly, we just don't have any Canadian visitor recorded so far in march... All this suggest that you are simply describing another observatory, indeed there are many in Vicuña, some even trying to "mimic" our names and promos. Be sure anyway we'll chexk it all, since for ethics reasons we just cannot allow any of our visitors to get disappointed...

I was here just last night and I still can't stop thinking how awesome it was. Was originally booked to go to mamalluca observatory but after a cancellation by the office and reading the reviews I figured I would not have enjoyed it anyway.. Mamalluca tours consist of at least 50 people, the guides are just that, tour guides - they are not astronomers. You spend more time watching videos than observing.. A lot of kids and a lot of queuing. A very weak telescope as well that won't allow you to see anything interesting..HOWEVER, the observatorio del pangue on the other hand consists of small groups of only 10 people. The guides are true astronomers that have a huge depth of knowledge and explain everything so well.. Its a very cosy environment and you feel welcomed to ask questions and converse. Most importantly, you spend the entire time observing the stars and then looking at beautiful nebula's, a super nova, far distant galaxies and the remnants of an exploded star (supernova)..My wife and I opted for the English tour and our astronomer Eric spoke perfect English.. He made sure everyone got to see every object through the telescope spending a good few minutes on each object. There was no rushing you could spend as long as you wanted looking through the (big) powerful telescope..Our group was only 5 people and everyone was so friendly. On this rare occasion because of the cloud cover on the previous night it was moved over to tonight. The group was originally around 12 people and they split it up into two groups. That's how seriously these guys take the importance of your experience. And on this rare occasion we were allowed to use the telescope that wasnt for the tourists because of the group being split into two. A bit more powerful but manually operated..Eric showed us how to move it around and use it which was super easy and honestly it made the experience for me even better..If you're serious about seeing the beautiful night sky, want a tour that is not rushed, want to be able to see the most beautiful things the cosmos has to offer, want the most polite, friendly and knowledgeable astronomers to teach and show you the cosmos then this is the tour for you.. It costs more than mamalluca but it is worth so much more and it's true value for money..To everyone at the observatory and Eric, thank you so much for such a magical experience.

For those who know telescopes this is the place to visit. Sure, you can travel up to the professional observatories but that's during the day. If you want time on the eyepiece, I doubt that you can beat this. They met all my requests with grace and hospitality.We missed our chance last year to visit this observatory but made sure that we would this time. I arranged for the visit over the internet. They have several packages and my bride and I booked the better, which was well worth the extra. A driver picked us up from our cabanas which was not only very nice but a good thing. Who wants to be driving on a dark strange road in the mountains at night?When we got there we were greeted with warm hospitality and went to observe with the 25" Obsession. This was my chance to see all of the Southern Sky delights that can't be observed from North America in a big scope. When I travel, the best I can carry with me is my 5" Newtonian or a pair of good binoculars. Trust me when I say that we have the lesser deal compared to the southern hemisphere. Even though I've been south twice before, looking though their big dob and impressive 16" Meade SCT, I was like a kid in a candy shop. My wife commented on how she enjoyed my acting like it was Christmas.The hosts were very knowledgeable and had an array of targets that were unknown to me and a welcome surprise. On the other hand, that's why I was there, to get to know that whole new chunk of sky.If you haven't done much observing before you may not appreciate how superior this observatory's equipment and staff is but you'll probably still enjoy it. I'm confident that there isn't a better place that you can observe at in a retail observatory.

After having attended an enormous observatory nearby with many other visitors in the past, Observatorio del Pangue was a very welcome and different experience. The guides there were Cristian and Eric, both clearly experts in astronomy and quick to answer our questions. Capped at 10 people (our visit had only 6), the experience was very intimate, and I had all of my questions answered, and more! The setting couldn't be better for stargazing, and the quality of the telescope was excellent. I wholeheartedly recommend the experience at Observatorio del Pangue!!!

I loved my trip to the Observatorio del Pangue and would definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested to learn about the universe.We did see a lot of stars and planets, star clusters,....., but the best part was definitely the close-up view of the moon. The guides were very knowledgable. The maximal group size is 10 people (opposed to Mamalluca where they need 50 to even start the tour....) but this observatory aims at a different group than Mamalluca. It is cold up there so wear warm clothes, but the do offer tea or coffee if you are really cold.The transport to the center was no problem at all: I always felt safe in the car.

Thanks for your review, in particular thanks for emphasize that we are not like the Mamalluca. In complement to your comment we comfirm that observatories do not compete each other, but they propose different programmes instead : e.g. in any case we could receive the hundreds of visitors that the Mamalluca gets every popular night, nor we could receive classrooms or families with children. Even when we just keep offering larger telescopes to smaller groups, we totally agree that Mamalluca is as necessary as other more friendly observatories.

It seems appropiate to specify that the transfert to the observatory was performed by a private taxi company not affiliated to the observatory. We called them that night because our own vehicule was unavailable (maintenance service cannot always coincide with Full Moon phases!). In a private mail we gave you the references of that company, so I hope you can clear with them the reason why the drivers felt he was not treated with courtesy.Meanwhile we thank you for your review : indeed we remenber how much you appreciate the Astro Tour so, as a compensation for the "transfert experience", I propose to get you a free pass to the observatory for some friend of yours that may come to Chile some day : they just have to mention your reference and we'll receive them... and that should be aboard the observatory vehicule !...

I never thought I could enjoy so much astronomical observations, the celestial views through the telescope were amazing (have you ever seen before a "broken star" ?...), the astronomers always take care that we do see everything well, and they can answer virtually any question! And, due to the very limited groups, we got plenty of time to observe, without any "queuing effect". More expensive than other observatories in the area but well worth it indeed !

The Atro tour takes you about half an hour's drive outside of Vicuña (off-road on a bumpy mountain road). Once at the observatory, you will have the chance to do observations for about two hours. Eric, our guide, gave excellent explanations and guided us through some of the sky's highlights. Far away from all sources of natural light, the sky is simply amazing. If you go to Elqui Valley, make sure you don't miss this!

Eric is an Astronomer and he explains everything with such enthusiasm. Best Tour ever. Biggest telescope available for public viewing.

If you have even the slightest interest in looking at the night sky, please, go on one of their tours. Each tour is only 8 people and there are 2 astronomers so you have plenty of time to ask questions and just learn about the night sky. They both speak English & Spanish and one also speaks French and do a wonderful job spending time with everyone. It was the best $35 I've probably ever spent (and was hesitant to do so, but is it absolutely worth it).

Small groups and you spend the entire 2.5+ hours outdoors observing the skies with telescopes and laser pointers. There are no inside powerpoint presentations and a basic understanding of astronomy is helpful - those who don't know much may either feel intimidated to ask more questions or may ask way too many questions and annoy the rest of the group.Note: when it gets to about 1/2 moon phase, they do not hold observations as it is too bright. At 17 km away from Vicuña, even at 1500 m above sea level, you see no lights from the town.The road is bumpy and curvy, so its better to take their transport than drive on your own, but be prepared.

Zum zweiten Mal habe ich Observatorium Pangue besucht und wieder war es sensationell beeindruckend.Eine private Tour geleitet von Eric,einem studiertem Astrophysiker unter einem perfektem Sternenhimmel.Das 25 Zoll Teleskop ist das grösste der Öffentlichkeit zugängliche Teleskop in Chile und soweit mir bekannt weltweit.Eta Carinae mit Humunculus (das Teil ist wirklich orange) und den Tarantula Nebel unter diesen Bedingungen zu erleben, haut einen wirklich von der Leiter.Dieses Observatorium ist ein Leckerbissen für alle Amateurastronomen.Verpassen Sie es nicht, wenn Sie in Vicunia sind.Ich komme wieder zurück

Nous sommes 7 pour une soirée commentée en anglais et en français. Nous enchainons de belles observations avec un télescope dobson de 60cm, sous la houlette d'un excellent astronome. Parfait pour non initiés, comme pour initiés.

Si están realmente interesados en las constelaciones y nebulosas más que observar la luna o cosas más típicas, DEBEN pagar un poquito más y visitar este lugar.. Grupos pequeños, solo adultos, un astrónomo genio, seco, buenisimo en lo que hace, que se dio el tiempo de explicar con toda la paciencia del mundo y respondió cada pregunta que le hicieron. Un telescopio de ultima generacion, en el que pudimos ver estrellas, nebulosas y planetas.. Fue realmente inolvidable, se lo recomiendo a todos lo que busquen de una experiencia un poco mas personalizada e intima.