by Valentina from San Pedro de Atacama asks Santa about a movie, learns about the Atacama Desert’s clear night skies, and hears about the Atacameño people’s connection to the stars
Dear Santa, my name is Valentina and I am nine years old. I live in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile, where my abuelo says our sky at night has more stars visible than almost anywhere else a person could stand.
Dear Valentina, I have flown through that exact sky myself, and your abuelo’s claim is entirely, wonderfully true.
Santa, I have three questions.
My first question is, have you seen Christmas Under the Stars? My family sits outside stargazing every Christmas Eve before dinner, and it always feels like the perfect title for what we do.
I have not caught that particular movie myself, Valentina, though your family’s actual tradition sounds even better than any film title could capture.
My second question is about our desert. My teacher says the Atacama Desert has the clearest, driest skies in the entire world. Is that true?
It is true, Valentina. The Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on Earth, and its remarkably clear skies make it one of the best places in the world for stargazing and astronomy, drawing scientists and observatories from everywhere. Flying under those impossibly clear stars each Christmas Eve is genuinely breathtaking.
My third question is about the Atacameño people. My teacher says they have lived here and studied the stars for a very long time. Is that true?
It is, Valentina. The Atacameño people have called this desert home for many centuries, developing deep knowledge of the stars, seasons, and land long before modern observatories arrived. I think it is a beautiful thing when ancient wisdom and modern science both find the very same sky worth studying so carefully.
Merry Christmas, Santa.
Your friend,
Valentina Cortés
San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
P.S. Do you see more stars from the sleigh than we do from the ground?
Considerably more, Valentina. It is one of the true privileges of the job.
