Las Campanas Observatory (LCO) in Chile was established in 1969 by the Carnegie Institution for Science as its principal observing site in the southern hemisphere. Today, Las Campanas is home to several large telescopes, including the twin 6.5-meter Magellan telescopes, which are used by Carnegie, Harvard, MIT, the University of Arizona, and the University of Michigan.
 

 

Photo: Las Campanas Observatory.

LCO is a leg of Around the World in 80 Telescopes tour: Click to play; click  (lower right) to view video full screen Next stop: ESO La Silla Observatory (previous stop: Concordia)

The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT)—the product of more than a century of astronomical research and telescope-building by some of the world’s leading research institutions—will open a new window on the universe for the 21st century. Scheduled for completion around 2019, the GMT will have the resolving power of a 24.5-meter (80 foot) primary mirror—far larger than any other telescope ever built. It will answer many of the questions at the forefront of astrophysics today and will pose new and unanticipated riddles for future generations of astronomers.

Magellan Telescopes - The twin 6.5-meter Magellan telescopes are widely considered to be the best natural imaging telescopes in the world. They were built and continue to be operated by a consortium consisting of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, Harvard University, MIT, the University of Michigan, and the University of Arizona. The telescopes are located at Carnegie's Las Campanas Observatory, high in the southern reaches of Chile's Atacama Desert. First light for the Walter Baade telescope occurred on September 15, 2000. The Landon Clay telescope started science operations on September 7, 2002.

Du Pont and Swope Telescopes - The Observatories currently operate the Irénée du Pont 2.5-meter and Henrietta Swope 1.0-meter telescopes at Las Campanas, Chile. Telescope time is available to the Observatories' scientific staff and visiting investigators.

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