Chile and the universe are connected. This country in the south of the world, with more than 4 thousand kilometers long and diverse landscapes between deserts and glaciers, is today the world capital of astronomy because it has the greatest stargazing capacity on the planet.
The low light pollution and favorable weather conditions of the Atacama Desert have made the world's leading research centers have chosen Chile to settle and search for the answers of the future, but what few know is that not only the sky is rich for astronomy. The ground also hides the mysteries of the universe with the millions of meteorites that today rest on the earth, each one with a fascinating story to tell, and it is the "meteorite hunters" who today have dedicated themselves to deciphering their origin. Jorge Monsalve is one of them and this is his story: he was born in March 1971 in Osorno, a city in southern Chile that contrasts with the arid landscapes that are now his place of work. He grew up in the middle of forests with abundant vegetation and many animals. When he was 12 years old, his grandfather showed him a news item in the newspaper about an American who had found a meteorite in the Arizona desert and had sold it at a very high price. Jorge, the "meteorite hunter", remembers that he was fascinated by the story, but he never thought that something that happened so many kilometers away, on the other side of the world, would be possible in Chile. He was wrong.
It was a decade ago, by simple chance, that a meteorite came into his hands. And what he felt at that moment was much stronger than he could have imagined. Soon after, he was invited to his first expedition to hunt meteorites in San Pedro de Atacama, in the north of Chile, and something unprecedented happened on that trip: on his first day he hunted three meteorites.
Everyone was amazed, he tells us, because it was a feat that others might take years to accomplish. "The joy, the happiness of finding your first meteorite is inexplicable. I freaked out about it and never let go," Monsalve says. He also realized how lucky he was to have been born in Chile, a place with unique characteristics to be able to enjoy his passion to the fullest.
Jorge Monsalve is an example of the connection that exists between Chileans and the universe. A connection that was even more evident with the total solar eclipse that Chile witnessed in July 2019, when the entire country paused to look at the sky. On December 14 of this year 2020, the event will be repeated in Araucanía. At the end of 2021, it will be visible from Antarctica.
Today the "meteorite hunter" hopes to be able to go out again and do what he likes best. He has found almost 300 of these stones from space, which are available for astronomical research. He feels lucky to live in a country with such a diverse territory. "This country is unique. I feel very privileged to be where I am and to come from where I come from". Jorge makes the following invitation:
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