Star trails at Magellan

As a part of the Field Course in Astrophysics, I was privileged to visit Chile for an observing run at the Magellan Telescopes atop the Andean foothills of the Atacama desert. The primary objective of this expedition was to capture light from elusive strong gravitational lenses, which present images of distant galaxies gravitationally magnified and distorted into ring-like shapes. The twin Magellan Telescopes, perched on a peak in the arid Chilean desert, offer some of the best astronomical observing conditions on the planet, allowing us a spectacular view of the universe. The image you see is a testament to this journey: it captures the ethereal streaks of the Milky Way, a testament to the vastness of the universe; as well as the silhouette of the Walter Baade Magellan Telescope, a symbol of our relentless pursuit of knowledge. This single, 250-second exposure encapsulates the intersection of our scholarly curiosity, the awe-inspiring beauty of the night sky, and UChicago's ongoing quest in the field of Astrophysics.