Image Highlights of the Pierre Auger Observatory

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The Pierre Auger Observatory is a hybrid detector. On the hill is one of the 4 Fluorescence Detector buildings and communications tower. In the bottom foreground is one of the 1,600 Surface Detectors.

The Auger Observatory is a "hybrid detector," employing two independent methods to detect and study high-energy cosmic rays. One technique detects high energy particles through their interaction with water placed in surface detector tanks. The other technique tracks the development of air showers by observing ultraviolet light emitted high in the Earth's atmosphere.

The Observatory office building illuminated at night.

A surface detector station with the Andes in the background

Members of the Pierre Auger Collaboration

The Pierre Auger Collaboration is made up of about 370 scientists from 17 countries.

Jim Cronin, left, and Alan Watson

Two of the "founding fathers" of the Pierre Auger Observatory are pictured on the right. One is James Cronin of the University of Chicago, and the other is Alan Watson of the University of Leeds.

Correo Argentino, S.A., has issued a 0.75 peso stamp to honor the Pierre Auger Observatory.

Correo Argentino S.A., the official postal service of Argentina, has issued a postage stamp in its collection "Cosmos and Science" to honor the Pierre Auger Observatory. The stamp, valued at 0.75 pesos, depicts a Cherenkov radiation detector, part of the surface array of the Observatory, installed in the departments of Malargüe and San Rafael, Mendoza.

Two Auger scientists installing electronics for one of the surface detectors. Each detector is independently opearted on only 20 watts of solar power. Signals from the detector are automatically transmitted via a radio link to the central observatory.

A cosmic ray event viewed by all four of the Fluorescence Detectors. Each detector records the growth and decay of the extensive cosmic ray air shower comprised of billions of secondary particles.

Groundbreaking for the southern hemisphere site of the Pierre Auger Observatory took place on March 17, 1999, in Argentina’s Mendoza Providence.

An aerial view of the Fluorescence Detector building at Los Leones. The building contains 6 bays, each of which houses a complete telescope and camera assmebly viewing a part of the sky over the array. The communications tower is behind the detector building.