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The Sun sets at ESO’s Paranal Observatory.

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Technicians and engineers have worked hard all day

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to prepare the European flagship facility,

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the Very Large Telescope, for astronomers to use.

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At night,

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scientists address some of the most important mysteries in the Universe

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with this superb science machine,

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observing the heavens in exquisite detail.

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Paranal is dedicated to astronomical observation,

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but no one can work all the time, 

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especially in these harsh conditions.

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Everyone at the observatory has leisure time,

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and enthusiastically pursues their hobbies during their free time.

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This is the ESOcast!

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Cutting-edge science and life behind the scenes of ESO,

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the European Southern Observatory.

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Exploring the ultimate frontier with our host Dr J, a.k.a. Dr Joe Liske.

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Hello and welcome to another episode of the ESOcast.

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Now Paranal Observatory is a pretty special place to work at.

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First of all, it is located in the very remote and arid Atacama Desert in Chile,

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and it takes hours to drive to the nearest city. 

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Secondly, the work that needs to be performed there isn’t exactly easy

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and the professional skills of the staff are constantly challenged

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by the incredible technical diversity of the Very Large Telescope.

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So this combination makes leisure activities a pretty essential part of life for the staff, 

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because it helps them to relax and to recover

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from their often highly stressful work.

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In this episode, we’re going to follow three Paranal staff members:

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Fernando Salgado, Stéphane Guisard and Margaret Moerchen,

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to learn about both their jobs and their hobbies on Paranal.

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Fernando Salgado is an electronic engineer at Paranal.

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Together with his colleagues,

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Fernando tests and repairs the numerous electronic components

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of the Very Large Telescope to keep them in working order.

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This is often far from easy,

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and mastering the instrument’s sheer complexity is a real challenge.

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During his free time, Fernando’s great passion is playing the drums.

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And at Paranal, he plays as often as he can in the entertainment room of the Residencia

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to keep his skills up.

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He also frequently has jam sessions with colleagues and astronomers

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from all over the world in the entertainment room,

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expanding and improving his own musical experience.

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Amateur musicians frequently give spontaneous performances

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in the entertainment room,

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enriching the cultural life of everyone at the observatory.

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Stéphane Guisard is an optical engineer and leads the Paranal optics group,

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making sure that the Very Large Telescope has the best possible optical quality.

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This involves a lot of different tasks, 

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including working on one of the VLT’s huge main mirrors

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during a recoating operation.

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Stéphane’s biggest hobby is astrophotography,

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and some of his images have been used in previous ESOcasts.

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But Stéphane is also a top-level water polo player.

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As his club is in far away Santiago,

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the pool of the Paranal Residencia helps him stay fit

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and keeps his feel for water at a competitive level.

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The pool of the Residencia is popular with many people,

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but Stéphane is certainly amongst the most frequent users.

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But the Paranal Residencia isn’t the only place that offers a chance to relax.

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Next door to it, ESO has built a gym

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that offers a wide range of activities.

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Here, lots of people get together to form sports teams,

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and the gym hall definitely contributes a lot

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to the social climate at the observatory.

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Kick-off for a soccer game at the gymnasium.

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At about 2400 m above sea level,

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there’s less oxygen in the air,

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making being in shape even more important for players.

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People who live and exercise regularly at the altitude

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don’t have any trouble, however.

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In another room, several people practice yoga together,

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following the instructions of an experienced trainer.

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Others get in shape by using one of the many exercise machines of the sports hall.

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Again, the altitude and aridity of the site make exercise more difficult,

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but the machines still see a lot of use.

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The conditions at Paranal make it one of the best places in the world

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for astronomical observations.

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There are rarely any clouds

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and the climate is extremely dry in the Atacama Desert.

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Located at 2600 metres,

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the VLT can observe for over 320 nights per year.

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But it’s exactly these harsh conditions that make Paranal

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a true challenge for the sports enthusiasts,

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especially outside, under the blazing desert sun.

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But there are people that are willing to face the challenge.

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Margaret Moerchen is an astronomer at Paranal,

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supporting science operations.

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On the day shift, she makes sure

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that the telescope and the instruments are ready for the night observations.

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On the night shift, she performs observations

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either in service mode or in visitor mode.

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In order to relax from these demanding duties,

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she likes to bike at Paranal.

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In the desert, good sun protection is crucial

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and drinking plenty of water is a must.

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The site offers numerous off-road options,

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but today Margaret chooses Paranal’s “Star Track” for her excursion.

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This path leads from the Residencia up to the Paranal summit.

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Although the dryness and the altitude effects are always noticeable,

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Margaret typically bikes for about an hour before she returns.

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There are many ways for people at Paranal

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 to enjoy themselves during their free time,

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and to relax from their unique but demanding professional obligations.

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And after they’ve played, they are ready to continue the world-class work

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that astronomers have come to expect from Paranal.

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This is Dr J signing off for the ESOcast.

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Join me again next time for another cosmic adventure.

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ESOcast is produced by ESO, the European Southern Observatory.

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ESO, the European Southern Observatory, is the pre-eminent intergovernmental science and technology organisation in astronomy,

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designing, constructing and operating the world’s most advanced ground-based telescopes.

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Transcription by ESO ; translation by —

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Now that you've caught up with ESO,

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head 'out of this world' with Hubble.

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The Hubblecast highlights the latest discoveries of the world´s most recognized and prized space observatory,

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the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope