El Leoncito National Park

May 16, 2022 — Argentina

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The El Leoncito Park offers magnificent mountain landscapes in a semi desertic environment. There are a few nice treks available, and two observatories can be visited. I had the opportunity to make a visit at the Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito (CASLEO) that has one of the largest mirrors telescopes in Argentina.

I was in the park during the total lunar eclipse of May 16, 2022. I attended a night tour on the ground of the second observatory (Cesco). There was no access to a large telescope, but I was able to observe the stars and the moon with a few professional telescopes.

Seeing the lunar eclipse, which lasted about 4 hours for the whole process, was an interesting experience.

Cascada del Rincón Trail

Here is the waterfall or what is left of it. Strong rains caused a flood that destroyed all the beauty of the site. However, along the path, one can see how a small river can carve its way in the desert land of the park.

Paysaje de Agua Trail

In the past, there was a ranch with cows, sheep, and horses.

The CASLEO Observatory.

Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito (CASLEO)

This observatory is home to one of the largest scientific telescopes of the country. A visit is a very interesting way to learn some facts about the telescope with mirrors.

Here are some facts:

	the large mirror is 2.15 metres wide and weighs more than a ton
	the telescope is built over a concrete slab with a depth of 14 metres
	on average, night conditions are excellent 270 nights a year
	the entire dome can rotate
	each night, the room temperature where the telescope stands is gradually lowered to that of the exterior to avoid condensation on the optical elements
	images are digitalized directly from the telescope and sent to computers

The tank where the large mirror is cleaned.

The dome and telescope.

Observations are not done with the naked eye, everything is digitalized and sent to computers.

The entire dome can rotate.

Outside the observatory, a solar clock.

View from the observatory.

Total lunar eclipse

On May 16, 2022, a total lunar eclipse was visible from the park. This kind of eclipse occurs when our planet passes in between the moon and the sun.

The steps of the eclipse are (a process that last about 4 hours):

	before the eclipse, the full moon is visible
	when the earth begins to obstruct the line of sight between the sun and the moon, a shadow starts to grow and the moon seems to dissapear
	in fact, as the white radiance of the moon fades, the moon is still visible, but with a much paler reddish colour
	finally, toward the end of the eclipse, when the earth stops from blocking the light of the sun, the white full moon reappears gradually