Scientists have been unable to take advantage of the pristine skies over Chile's Atacama desert since late March, when its array of world-renowned observatories were shuttered. GIANT RED STAR"Any GRB or supernova that goes off while we're shut down, we can't really observe it. Just 400 kilometers (250 miles) away from ALMA is the Paranal Observatory and its Very Large Telescope, the world's most powerful. KEY OBSERVATORIESThe coronavirus pandemic has hit Chile hard, forcing a month-long lockdown of its capital Santiago. We observe approximately 4,000 hours every year at ALMA with the 12-meter antenna complex, so if the shutdown lasts six months, it is 2,000 hours of lost observation."

Source: Daily Nation June 12, 2020 06:22 UTC