The second GoChile summer school of astronomy

The second GoChile Summer School of Astronomy took place from 13 to 19 August 2023. Fifteen students gathered at the Lešnik Farm near Slovenj Gradec, where they learned about the GoChile telescope and the astrophysical research under the guidance of mentors.

The programme included theoretical lectures in various fields of astrophysics and physics. Both Slovenian and foreign lecturers introduced the students to astrophotography, massive stars, microlensing, the expansion of the Universe, gravitational waves and meteorites. We talked about scientific careers and had fun at the astroquiz. Local co-organisers provided the entertainment by showing the students the activities at the Faculty of Polymer Technology in Slovenj Gradec and the Faculty of Environmental Protection in Velenje.

Observation projects were also a major part of the school this year. Students learned how to operate the GoChile telescope and how to process and analyse the data. They worked in pairs on the projects. They observed the Helix Nebula, captured the passage of the exoplanet K2-31 b, studied the rotation of the asteroid (354) Eleanor, classified galaxies on Hubble's fork, hunted for artificial satellites, searched for massive stars in the Tarantula Nebula, and studied the stellar population in the M18 cluster. This year, the weather in Chile didn't cooperate. The cloud cover only allowed us to observe occasionally, so some groups were unable to carry out their observations. Fortunately, we had archive data ready for just such a black scenario.

Fortunately, the weather in Slovenj Gradec was beautiful for almost the whole week, so we were able to enjoy the northern starry sky. Especially magical was the first night when we counted the Perseids in the sky.

The students wrote several articles about the summer school. Tara Borojević and Neja Pisk wrote short articles for the online newspaper Časoris, and the rest will be published in Spika and Presek magazine in the near future. Let us just publish the conclusion of the Spika article here:

For us participants, this summer astronomy school has been a very rich and educational experience. We have made new friends, delved deeper into the fascinating world of astronomy, and experienced first-hand the challenges and joys of space exploration. We all took away a wealth of knowledge and went home with great memories. It was an experience that will stay with us forever. We would like to thank everyone who contributed to making this unforgettable event a reality.