The light-gathering power of four Carrier-cooled
telescopes will be combined to create the world's most powerful telescope at Cerro
Paranal, Chile.
Silva, an engineer for Interma, Carrier's former distributor and a valued customer
in Santiago, solved the problem so effectively he and Carrier Chile have developed
a reputation as Chile's telescope cooling experts. The skills he demonstrated at
La Silla helped Carrier win the recent contract to cool the world's largest array
of telescopes now under construction at Cerro Paranal, about 650 kilometers north
of here.
The telescopes at Cerro Paranal will be cooled by three, 23XL screw chillers manufactured
in Syracuse, N.Y. Besides their efficiency, the screw chillers also were chosen because
of their low vibration levels. As anyone who has used a pair of high power binoculars
knows, even small movements are magnified by an optical device. Imagine the multiplication
when the object you're looking at is 10 million light years away.
There are other new Chilean observatories still under bid that have Carrier chillers
in their sights, as well, says Alfredo Rodriguez, general manager of Carrier Chile.
Both Cerro La Silla and Cerro Paranal are operated by a consortium of European nations
under the umbrella of the European Organization for Astronomy. The ESO, or European
Southern Observatories, are located in the Atacama Desert for good reasons. The Atacama
is the driest place on earth. The frigid Humboldt Current just off Chile's Pacific
coast cools the prevailing westerlies and reduces the air's ability to hold moisture.
Once the air is reheated, its relative humidity plunges. The result is more than
300 cloudless nights a year at La Silla and 350 clear nights at Cerro Paranal. And
since there are no major cities nearby, there is no haze, no air pollution and no
light pollution.