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FOR ALL AMATEUR
ASTRONOMERS |
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FOR ADVENTURING AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS |
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ATACAMA FOR SHORTER ITINERARIES
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CUSTOMIZED FOR CULTURAL ASSOCIATIONS
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VERY
LARGE TELESCOPE (VLT) |
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ATACAMA
LARGE MILLIMETER ARRAY (ALMA) |
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THE TOP 10
SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE OBJECTS |
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| QuasarChile's co-founder is
the Chilean astronomer Dr. Luis E. Campusano, PhD,
who knows the North of Chile very well. He also
enjoys communicating his passion for the study of
both the sky and universe. Mr. Sebastian N. Campusano,
who has worked for several years as a guide for
adventure tourism in the Chilean and Bolivian highland,
is the Operations Manager for the company. Dr. Robert
J. Havlen, PhD is consultant for QuasarChile in
the U.S.A. Under the direction of experienced professionals,
QuasarChile prides itself on reliable service and
attention to the individual needs of its passengers. |
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Dr. Luis
E. Campusano, PhD |
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| Luis is a native of Antofagasta,
the largest city in the Atacama desert region. It
is from this region that he did his first naked
eye observations of the Milky Way and of some other
prominent objects in the southern sky, at a time
well before any astronomy installations such as
the Very Large Telescope or the ALMA radio-telescope
were dreamed of for this region of Chile. Once at
the School of Engineering and Science of the University
of Chile in Santiago, he decided to join the then
recently created Astronomy Program (BSc) partially
triggered by the installation of the Cerro Tololo
Inter-American Observatory. |
His decision to actually
pursue a career in astronomy was reaffirmed
after 2 years as a reserach assistant
at the European Southern Observatory in
Santiago. A fellowship took him to the
University of Paris, and after that he
joined the faculty of the Astronomy Department
of the University of Chile, where teaching
and research on both galactic and extragalactic
astronomy kept him busy for many years.
Luis has also been active in the popularizaion
of science, as author of two books and
participant in a TV series about the Search
for Life in the Universe for which he
and other members of the team received
a National TV Award. He has collaborated
with colleagues in both North and South
America and Europe and holds a degree
in astrophysics from the University of
Toulouse. His current research interests
include the formation of quasars, the
large scale structure of the universe,
X-ray galaxy clusters, and gravitational
lensing. Luis has worked for 3 decades
at the University of Chile where he currently
is a faculty member of the Astronomy Department;
he also collaborates with the Chilean
National Commission for Science and Technology,
and belongs to several national and international
professional societies.
Luis is
one of the co-founders and partner of QuasarChile
(QC). His dream is that QC, his "new
baby", serves not only Chile and those
of you who want to visit Atacama and watch
the depths of space through the clearest
skies on the planet, but also makes you
and us feel part of a peaceful and collaborative
world community. I WISH YOU A HAPPY LANDING
IN CHILE, ONE OF THE BEST KEPT SECRET TRAVEL
DESTINATIONS !
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Dr. Robert
J. Havlen, PhD |
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Bob's interest in astronomy was
stimulated by Comets Arend-Roland and Mrkos in
1957 and the classic book "Making Your Own
Telescope" by Allyn J. Thompson.
Studies in astrophysics at the University of
Rochester and the University of Arizona broadened
his celestial horizons and he accepted his first
professional post in 1970 as Staff Astronomer
at the European Southern Observatory based in
Santiago, Chile. |
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While helping to develop
the young observatory, Bob's research interests
focused on the luminous stars and spiral structure
of the Milky Way Galaxy and the investigation
of clusters of galaxies. At the same time
he explored Chile's unique geography to appreciate
its outstanding southern skies and remotely
beautiful landscapes. After more than seven
years with ESO Bob returned to the US in academic/research
astronomy as Lecturer at the University of
Virginia where he enjoyed teaching and continued
his research pursuits stimulated by numerous
students and colleagues. In 1979 he entered
the challenging world of astronomy management
when he became Assistant to the Director at
the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in
Charlottesville, VA. For the next fourteen
years at the NRAO, both in Virginia and in
New Mexico at the Very Large Array, Bob was
responsible various administrative tasks including
telescope scheduling, research reporting,
observatory staffing, research visitor services,
and observatory education and public outreach.
From 1993
through 2000 Bob was Executive Director of the
Astronomical Society of the Pacific, the largest
general membership, non-profit astronomy organization
in the world. The organization's numerous programs
for professionals, amateurs and the public include:
advancing astronomy education through newsletters,
workshops, and the Project ASTRO teacher/astronomy
partnership program; promoting public awareness
of astronomy through Mercury Magazine, Annual
Awards/Meetings, and a catalog of popular astronomy
resource materials for teachers and amateurs;
and supporting research through professional
meetings and publications such as PASP and the
long-standing Conference Proceedings and IAU
Publications. ASP also partners with NASA to
support education and public outreach for some
of NASA's major research missions. (see www.astrosociety.org
)
After four careers in astronomy,
Bob now enjoys retirement in Albuquerque,
New Mexico, where he follows recent developments
in astronomy via the internet and is a Project
ASTRO volunteer with local middle school teachers.
He has seen five total solar eclipses and
hopes to view several more while enjoying
travel for his hobbies of astronomy, genealogy,
oenology, skiing, and adventure travel. BON
VOYAGE AND CLEAR SKIES !!
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Mr. Sebastian
N. Campusano |
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Sebastian has lived in Santiago,
Chile most of his life. His family has always
valued the sciences, the development of modern
Chile, and the value of international experiences
and contacts. Early in his youth and following
in his family's traditions he developed a strong
interest and appreciation for the Andes mountains
which run the entire length of Chile and are a
permanent view from most of its towns and cities.
With the aim of preserving Chile's natural beauties
and communicating them to others he studied Audio
Visual and Television in school and also discovered
that trekking and mountaineering enhanced his
enjoyment of nature and the wonders of the night
sky. He produced several videos and soon became
employed in the tourism industry as a means of
enhancing his experiences in the outdoors. For
several years he was an expert guide for "Azimut
360", a well-known adventure tourism agency,
where he specialized in the Chilean/Bolivian Altiplano
and the desert region surrounding San Pedro de
Atacama. He has always been attracted to the San
Pedro area because of its unique and unparalleled
natural beauty, its unusual plant and animal life,
and its incomparable starry night skies. During
a 2-year stay in the region he pioneered the development
of astronomy adventure tours using portable telescopes.
He and his astronomer father cofounded QuasarChile,
which expands upon his earlier pioneering efforts
and aims to serve the international community
with high-quality tours and services for exploring
the Atacama region and using portable telescopes
to observe the night sky.
Sebastian has made extended visits to Montreal,
Canada and Houston, Texas as part of his goal
to learn more about international cultures beyond
his own. In his spare time he enjoys listening
to music, swimming, and meditation. He is also
a self-taught computer hardware/software "expert",
who is often asked to help rescue his friends
and colleagues from PC emergencies. |
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