From Chile with Love
Big physics and astronomy experiments are impressive sights. That means they make great film locations. In its time the Lovell Telescope was the place where the fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) died and regenerated as Peter Davison. The Parkes radio telescope in Australia has been in The Dish (a great movie in my opinion). The Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico featured in Contact. The Arecibo dish starred in the James Bond movie GoldenEye. Now the makers of James Bond are using another observatory - Paranal - in the upcoming Bond film Quantum of Solace (there is a spoiler warning on that link!).
The European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere (which somehow makes the acronym ESO) have a great site for telescopes at Paranal in Chile. It is high in the Atacama desert so is both dry and has little atmospheric turbulence to twinkle the stars. The site is home to several telescopes making up the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and that means lots of astronomers need to go there to collect observations and reduce data. With large numbers of people visiting the remote site at altitude, ESO built their own astronomer hotel named the Residencia. The Residencia is a pretty stunning looking building and that together with the stunning and remote location inspired the film-makers to choose it as the secret lair of the next movie's Bond-villain.
The ESO Residencia, looking towards West. CREDIT: Massimo Tarenghi, ESO PR Photo 05c/02
The swimming pool at the lowest floor of the Residencia, Paranal, Chile CREDIT: Massimo Tarenghi, ESO PR Photo 05e/02
Comments: From Chile with Love
I believe the VLA also featured in 2010... And The Dish is just a perfect wee movie...
Posted by Stephen Mackenzie on Saturday 29th Mar 2008 (21:19 UTC)
Thanks for this news. I can't wait to see what Paranal looks like on the big screen. I was fortunate enough to have a two-day visit to the VLT last November. What a surreal place. I can actually see the room I stayed in at the residence on the above photo. Paranal is the closest thing to a moon base I have been too.
A couple of highlights:
1. After watching a unit handover inside one of the telescopes before dusk I then went outside to the edge of the observation deck to watch sunset over the Pacific. Most of the astronomers came up out of the control room to take a break and watch the sunset - absolutely stunning.
2. We went back up the telescope about 10.30 pm once the observations were well underway. I had the chance to stand up on the observation deck and gaze up into the stunning night sky with the sound of the four main units and the smaller VLTI units all whirring away quietly. The best sky I have ever seen!!
Just as we were leaving after lunch the following day I came up out of the Residence to meet a few ESO staff who asked if I had felt the earth tremor. I hadn't as I was underground. We thought nothing more of it till we got back to Antofagasta a few hours away and down by the coast to find there was a Tsunami warning due to the 7.8 mag earthquake they had had!
Posted by Rob on Sunday 30th Mar 2008 (10:15 UTC)
On the next peak from the VLT is the VISTA telescope, a near-infrared survey telescope, which will be run from the VLT operations room. It has just received its primary mirror (which was holding it up). Some good news for UK astronomy. See the pics at http://www.vista.ac.uk
Posted by Nicholas Cross on Sunday 30th Mar 2008 (10:48 UTC)
We're hoping to add further information about the filming to http://www.bondatparanal.org/ , when we are able to.
Posted by Douglas on Sunday 30th Mar 2008 (15:31 UTC)
Stephen, it certainly is a perfect wee movie.
Rob, I'm very, very jealous.
Nicholas, will you be at NAM in Belfast?
Posted by Stuart on Sunday 30th Mar 2008 (22:00 UTC)
Stuart - I will be at NAM, but only for Thursday and Friday. I arrive Wednesday afternoon, so I will be at the dinner too.
Nick
Posted by Nicholas Cross on Monday 31st Mar 2008 (08:24 UTC)