This holy grail of science, the Pierre Auger Observatory, stands on the Pampas Amarilla in Argentina, a desolate plain near Mendoza. The largest cosmic particle detector in the world covers some 3000 km2, about the size of a Dutch province. An exemplary demonstration of teamwork, says Professor of Astrophysics Jörg Hörandel, one of the four hundred scientists, from seventeen countries, involved in the project. “You can only realise this kind of gigantic project together.”
Last month, the ‘upgrade’ of the now 20-year-old observatory was celebrated in Mendoza: all 1600 detection stations have been fitted with a new antenna, which will allow the detection of more particles, of higher energy, and originating at hitherto unprecedented depths in the universe. Over the next decade, the promise of the renovated observatory should pay off, although there are no guarantees. “This is science, which means we have to wait and see the results,” says Hörandel, “but the expectation is that we will be able to draw an even more accurate map of the sky in 10 years' time.”
