Atacama

Description

The Atacama Desert in Chile is commonly known as the driest place on Earth. Studies by a group of British scientists have suggested that some riverbeds have been dry for 120,000 years. Once known for its rich deposits of copper and the world's largest natural supply of sodium nitrate, the desert is now home to the largest space observatory every built by man. Because of its high altitude, nearly non-existent cloud cover, dry air, and lack of light pollution and radio interference from the very widely spaced cities, the desert is one of the best places in the world to conduct astronomical observations.

Runtime

52 min

Series

Subjects

Geography

Genre

Date of Publication

[2013], c2011

Database

Films on Demand

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