Free Astronomy Magazine September-October 2019

16 SPACE CHRONICLES A mong the visitors who came to ESO’s La Silla Observatory to view a total solar eclipse on 2 July 2019 were a number of outreach partners, who also visited ESO’s other observato- ries in the country. [ESO/M. Zamani] T he President of the Republic of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, was greeted by ESO Director General Xavier Barcons when he visited ESO’s La Silla Observatory on the occasion of the total solar eclipse on 2 July 2019 and the Observatory’s 50 years of operation. The President was given a tour of La Silla’s world-class facilities, cele- brating a fruitful partnership between ESO and host country Chile. [ESO/M. Zamani] P anoramic view of the eclipse site. [ESO/M. Zamani] Member States win a trip to Chile to visit our sites. “Peo- ple around the world made the voyage to Chile, hop- ing for an unrivalled view of the solar corona as the Moon passed between the Earth and the Sun, turning day into night for almost two minutes,” explains Clau- dio Melo, ESO Representative in Chile. “These visitors were rewarded with pristine Chilean skies and a per-