Free Astronomy Magazine September-October 2019

15 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2019 SPACE CHRONICLES the Chilean Ministry of Education. The students had to write a letter where they explained their interest in science and, particularly, in astronomy. The winners, each together with a parent, were rewarded with a fully paid trip to La Silla. International and local media were also invited and about 60 representatives responded to the call. In addition, ESO webcast the eclipse online. Eight social media users were selected from 300 participants from ESON countries to participate in the #MeetESO second edition, a social media gathering taking the winners to all of ESO’s sites. They are sharing their experience with the world on Twitter and Instagram, as well as on their own channels. A public competition dedi- cated to La Silla Observatory’s 50 th anniversary, #LaSilla50Years, also saw one person from ESO’s O n 2 July 2019 a total solar eclipse passed over ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile. The eclipse lasted roughly two and a half hours, with almost two minutes of totality at 20:39 UT, and was visible across a narrow band of Chile and Ar- gentina. To celebrate this rare event ESO invited 1000 people, including dignitaries, school children, the media, researchers, and the general public, to come to the Observatory to watch the eclipse from this unique location. [ESO/R. Lucchesi]