the location of the telescope is the las campanas observatory, which is also the site of the magellan telescopes, some northeast of la serena, chile. this area has clear weather for most of the year. the night sky in most of the surrounding atacama desert region is free from atmospheric pollution. with few cities nearby this is probably one of the places least affected by light pollution. all of this makes the area one of the best spots on earth for long-term astronomical observation.