Hello to day 4 — or, as a true Austrian would say: Griaß eich!
As always, it is a beautiful sunny day here at the telescope, but maybe even sunnier today since it’s my birthday. It would have been a great present if our instrument had finally shown up, as we had some problems with customs at the beginning, but still pending.

Rob Harris and I are here to install a mini‑prototype of the MCIFU2 (Multi‑Core Integrated Field Unit). Our goal is to quantify how much infrared light (~900–1700 nm) makes it through the MagAO‑X system. Thanks for having us!

But since we have to wait until our parts arrive, I’m working on some data‑reduction software and simulation code. Because you probably don’t want to see me hunched over my laptop, here are some pretty pictures I took of the versatile local fauna and surroundings.

Every evening we go for a little digestive walk around the telescopes, always in the hope of seeing a green flash (the brief green glow that can appear at the exact moment the sun sets). I also went out for a late‑night stroll and took some pictures of the Milky Way.

Color of the Day

“ohhh look look look, what a nice rock!” colour

The rock probably gets its “ohhh look look look, what a nice rock!” colour from copper‑rich minerals like chrysocolla and malachite, which form when copper ores weather. Chile is one of the world’s largest copper‑mining regions.

Song of the Day

at full volume perfect for coding!