Las Campanas Observatory

Las Campanas Observatory (LCO), astronomical observatory established in 1969 in the Atacama desert of Chile at an altitude of 2,282 metres (7,487 feet). It is owned by the Carnegie Institution for Science, an American private research centre. The region is well known for its remarkably clear skies for astronomical observations. The observatory has five optical reflecting telescopes. The two largest telescopes, collectively named Magellan, have a diameter of 6.5 metres (260 inches). The first Magellan telescope, named after American astronomer Walter Baade, made its first observations in 2000, and the second Magellan telescope, named after project benefactor Landon Clay, made its first observations in 2002. The Magellan telescopes are operated by the Carnegie Institution in conjunction with the University of Michigan, the University of Arizona, Harvard University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Two smaller optical telescopes, the 1-metre (40-inch) Swope telescope and the 2.5-metre (100-inch) Irénée du Pont telescope, began observations in 1971 and 1977, respectively. LCO is also home to the 1.3-metre (51-inch) Warsaw University telescope, which began observations in 1996.