Climbing the Driest Place

Polly came from the Pacific coast at Antofagasta. She crossed into the Atacama Desert.

The Atacama is the driest place on Earth that is not at the poles. Some stations there have never recorded rain. The desert is 150 million years old. Older than the Andes mountains themselves.

The air above it is very dry and very dark. More than half of the world's big telescopes are within 400 kilometres of here.

Polly climbed. The ground was the colour of cinnamon and rust. Salt flats were white in the distance. Volcanoes rose to the east.

Her destination was Cerro Paranal, a mountain 2,600 metres high. Four big white domes were on top. The European Southern Observatory built the Very Large Telescope here in 1998. Each mirror is 8.2 metres across.

Polly followed a small bus up the road. The bus went to the residencia, where the staff sleep. The residencia is built into the mountain. There is a small swimming pool with a glass roof on top.

Astronomers are not allowed outside during the day. The desert sun is too strong. The pool is the one place they can be near water.

A man was climbing out of the pool. He saw Polly. "Are you with the science group?" he asked. Polly tilted her head. He smiled and walked inside.

The sun was high. Polly's shadow was sharp on the white concrete. The air was thin.

She perched in the shade. She waited for night.