0:00:07 > 0:00:12We've journeyed 6,000 miles to the country of Chile.
0:00:12 > 0:00:17This is the Atacama Desert - the driest place in the world.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21Parts of this barren land have never recorded rain.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25Human life needs water to survive, so we're in for a tough ride.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27We're heading into the wilderness
0:00:27 > 0:00:31to find out the secrets of this bone-dry desert.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35Come with us on a journey through this, the world's driest place.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40And this is what you'll see.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44I'll take to the sky and then fall through the air to reveal
0:00:44 > 0:00:46why the rain never makes it here.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49We'll race one of Chile's toughest men
0:00:49 > 0:00:52across this dangerous, barren land.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56And I'll find out why the world's driest place,
0:00:56 > 0:00:59is the perfect place to get close to the stars.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04What happens when the ground shakes,
0:01:04 > 0:01:08the seas rise up and the air tears itself apart?
0:01:08 > 0:01:10The Fierce Earth team move in,
0:01:10 > 0:01:14taking on the most powerful forces on the planet.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33Get ready for Fierce Earth - the Earth and how to survive it.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44I'm standing right in the middle of the Atacama Desert,
0:01:44 > 0:01:47a bone-dry, barren strip of land
0:01:47 > 0:01:50that runs right through the country of Chile.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53Chile sits on the Pacific coast
0:01:53 > 0:01:57and its neighbours are countries like Argentina, Bolivia and Peru
0:01:57 > 0:02:00with their huge rainforests and epic rivers.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03It's very different here.
0:02:03 > 0:02:08All deserts lack moisture, but the Atacama takes it to another level.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14Nothing survives here - it's more like Mars than the planet Earth.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16So why is it so dry here?
0:02:16 > 0:02:20That's a complicated one. There's three main rain-stopping forces
0:02:20 > 0:02:24that have kept water away and have turned this into an empty desert.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29Three Fierce Earth heads are always better than one,
0:02:29 > 0:02:33and Clare, Leo and I are all going to work on this.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38We'll identify the three forces
0:02:38 > 0:02:42that stop moisture from reaching the ground here.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45And to do that, we're diving deep and flying high.
0:02:50 > 0:02:55Wish me luck. I'm boarding this bad boy and taking to the skies.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59It's time to find out the details behind rain blocker number one.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13We're up at 3,000 metres.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16Over there to the east are the mighty Andes Mountains.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21If you go over the top of the Andes,
0:03:21 > 0:03:25you're in a totally different land to the bone-dry Atacama.
0:03:25 > 0:03:26It's green and lush.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31The clouds that carry the rain across South America
0:03:31 > 0:03:34hit those mountains, they're like a barrier,
0:03:34 > 0:03:36and the rain empties from those clouds.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40The Andes shut the door on the rain that this part of the world
0:03:40 > 0:03:43so desperately needs. And that is Dry Fact number one.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50Dry Fact one - the Andes Mountains block rain from the east.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59Dry Fact number two.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03The second thing that keep the rain clouds away from the Atacama Desert.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06To find out all about it, I'm heading out to sea -
0:04:06 > 0:04:08the Pacific Ocean.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24It's incredible to think that the Atacama Desert is just there
0:04:24 > 0:04:26and it's devoid of life.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29But, here, along the coast, it's teeming with wildlife.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38But it's unusual to have a desert so close to the ocean.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41This is what normally happens along the coastline.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44The sun beats down and heats the ocean.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47Water evaporates up into the sky and forms clouds.
0:04:47 > 0:04:52The water then falls on to the land as rain as it cools.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56But that does not happen here. And the reason why?
0:04:56 > 0:04:59Well, I'm going to take a dip to find out.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02This is weather science in action. Let's go.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11Oh! It's absolutely freezing!
0:05:11 > 0:05:14What a shock to my body!
0:05:14 > 0:05:18I've got a dive watch here, let me have a look at the temperature.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22I can't believe it. 13 degrees Celsius!
0:05:25 > 0:05:29You'd expect this part of the Pacific Ocean to be much warmer.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31But the water I'm swimming in now
0:05:31 > 0:05:35has flowed all the way from the Antarctic,
0:05:35 > 0:05:37up along the coast of South America.
0:05:37 > 0:05:42This huge stream of cold water has a special name,
0:05:42 > 0:05:43it's called the Humboldt current.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45And it's the reason why
0:05:45 > 0:05:47this water is so chilly.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51And it's also the reason why the Atacama stays so dry.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55This is what happens. Because the water is so cold,
0:05:55 > 0:05:58there's little evaporation from the sea's surface.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02And because of that, there's not enough water vapour to form clouds.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05Without rain clouds, there's no rain.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08And that's the reason why the Atacama Desert is so dry.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10That is rain blocker number two.
0:06:13 > 0:06:18Dry Fact two - the cold ocean and little evaporation
0:06:18 > 0:06:20means there's no rain from the west.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29Here's the third and final rain blocker
0:06:29 > 0:06:31that keeps the Atacama so dry.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34It's because of the air that flows over the land here.
0:06:35 > 0:06:391,000 miles to the north of here is a line called the equator,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42which runs around the middle of our planet.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45The sun beats down there with a huge amount of energy
0:06:45 > 0:06:50and that warms the air, lifting it up and sending it in this direction.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54Then, like a hot-air balloon without hot air, it starts to fall,
0:06:54 > 0:06:56just like I'm about to!
0:07:11 > 0:07:14After the hot air has moved away from the equator,
0:07:14 > 0:07:16it falls back to Earth - just like me!
0:07:20 > 0:07:23As the air falls towards the ground, it actually warms up
0:07:23 > 0:07:27and any moisture that's in the air just dries out.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31No moisture means no rain, and no rain means desert.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34This desert below me is the driest in the world.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46That was brilliant fun!
0:07:46 > 0:07:48And that is the third reason
0:07:48 > 0:07:52the Atacama Desert is the driest place in the world.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55So here are the three forces
0:07:55 > 0:07:58that keep water away from the planet's driest place.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00Only small amounts of water
0:08:00 > 0:08:04evaporate from the cold Pacific Ocean in the west.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08The massive Andes Mountains stop rain from the east.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11And falling air from the equator in the north
0:08:11 > 0:08:12is the final bolt on the door.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22So that's why the Atacama is so dry.
0:08:22 > 0:08:28Now we're on a mission to find out what it's actually like here.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31Coming up, we'll meet the local people who've got a magic trick
0:08:31 > 0:08:33that pulls water from thin air,
0:08:33 > 0:08:36and we'll find out what it's like
0:08:36 > 0:08:38to try and cross the Atacama Desert on foot!
0:08:41 > 0:08:43So dry. I can hardly swallow.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48But first, I'm paying a special visit to Quillagua,
0:08:48 > 0:08:52the driest town in the driest place in the world.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54Let's see how they won that record.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02It's simple really. Quillagua is the driest town in the world
0:09:02 > 0:09:05because it almost never rains here.
0:09:05 > 0:09:10And it's this bit of kit that measures the rain. Or lack of it.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12Any rain that does come would come in here
0:09:12 > 0:09:15and gets collected at the bottom of this bin.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18But as I shake it, there's nothing in there.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20Except for a little bit of dust.
0:09:20 > 0:09:25They've received 15 millimetres of rain over the past 30 years.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32That's it. That's all the rain they've received.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34That's amazingly dry.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38That looks like a tiny amount of water to me.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42But how does it compare to somewhere it rains a lot,
0:09:42 > 0:09:43like London in the UK?
0:09:43 > 0:09:45Over the past 30 years,
0:09:45 > 0:09:49Quillagua has received only 15 millimetres of rain.
0:09:49 > 0:09:54In comparison to London, which has received over 11 metres of rain.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01How do people survive in such a dry environment?
0:10:01 > 0:10:04The tiny amount of rain that falls here
0:10:04 > 0:10:07has meant that some settlements have not survived.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09The place is littered with ghost towns.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11People used to call these places home,
0:10:11 > 0:10:13but the environment was so tough,
0:10:13 > 0:10:17they packed up and headed to parts of Chile that were easier to live in.
0:10:17 > 0:10:22How has Quillagua survived when life in these other towns dried up?
0:10:22 > 0:10:25I'm heading into town to find out.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30Quillagua is the only town for miles around.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33It was a busy little place back in the 1940s
0:10:33 > 0:10:38and was an important stopping point for trains travelling through Chile.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40Over 800 people lived here
0:10:40 > 0:10:44and Quillagua's tiny school had 120 kids in it.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48But, with so little water available,
0:10:48 > 0:10:51the town couldn't support that many people,
0:10:51 > 0:10:54and today Quillagua is a lot quieter.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57Look at this - there's only six kids in this whole school now
0:10:57 > 0:11:00and I've got a couple of questions for them.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Do you know you live in the driest town in the world?
0:11:03 > 0:11:04- TRANSLATION:- Yes.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Have you ever seen rain before?
0:11:07 > 0:11:10No, I've never seen it rain in my life.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13How many times have you seen it rain?
0:11:13 > 0:11:14Just the once.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20'Imagine that - only seeing rain once in your lifetime!
0:11:20 > 0:11:22'One of the students, Marisol,
0:11:22 > 0:11:26'has taken some time out of school to teach me
0:11:26 > 0:11:30'about where the water comes from in a town where it hardly ever rains.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34'She told me how sometimes, she can turn the tap on at home
0:11:34 > 0:11:36'and there's just no water.'
0:11:36 > 0:11:38Is this is where you live?
0:11:38 > 0:11:42And when you turn the tap and no water comes out, what do you think?
0:11:42 > 0:11:44- TRANSLATION:- I think it's a shame
0:11:44 > 0:11:47because a town that is already dry is getting drier.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50Where do they bring the water to, where does it go?
0:11:50 > 0:11:52Right there, in the blue tanks.
0:11:52 > 0:11:53Right there, in the blue tanks.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57Do you know how many times per week the water gets filled into the tanks?
0:11:59 > 0:12:01- Five times a week. - Five times a week.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05So, as Marisol says, all of the town's water
0:12:05 > 0:12:07is stored in these tanks.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11But with no rain, where does it come from?
0:12:12 > 0:12:16Well, get this - it has to be brought in by truck.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18HORN TOOTS
0:12:20 > 0:12:26It's a 120-mile journey, twice a day, five times per week.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28And it's driven by this guy - Jose.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37You know, you take it for granted, water.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41You go to the tap, you turn on the water - bam, water's there.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47His job is so important because he's bringing water to the town.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49If it wasn't for him doing that,
0:12:49 > 0:12:52there's no way this town could survive.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06This literally is the lifeline right here of Quillagua.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10Imagine living somewhere that doesn't have water
0:13:10 > 0:13:12other than when it's brought like this.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17Pipes from the tanks run into the houses below
0:13:17 > 0:13:21where people need it for washing, cooking and, of course, drinking.
0:13:21 > 0:13:26Quillagua's people are careful with the small amount of water they get.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29Because of that and, of course, this truck,
0:13:29 > 0:13:31the driest settlement in the world
0:13:31 > 0:13:34hasn't turned into an abandoned ghost town.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36Job done.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39Jose's off home and Quillagua's people have enough water
0:13:39 > 0:13:42until the truck's next visit in 12 hours' time.
0:13:48 > 0:13:53So that's what it takes to live in a place as dry as the Atacama,
0:13:53 > 0:13:56but what is it like to travel across this barren land?
0:13:56 > 0:13:58Well, Leo's about to find out,
0:13:58 > 0:14:01because I've got a challenge for him -
0:14:01 > 0:14:04a 15km trek across one of the most rugged stretches
0:14:04 > 0:14:05of the Atacama Desert.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07Nasty.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09You don't just have to beat the desert,
0:14:09 > 0:14:12you have to beat that guy over there.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16Antonio is in one of the toughest regiments in the Chilean army.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22He knows how to survive out here for weeks without any help.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26Today is his day off, but he's ready to take Leo on.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30- That doesn't sound like fun. - SHE LAUGHS
0:14:30 > 0:14:32Here are your supplies.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35Let's have a look. A map.
0:14:35 > 0:14:36One litre of water.
0:14:38 > 0:14:39GPS.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41And a compass.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44Here is your competitor. This is Antonio.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48'We're almost ready to go, but as the Atacama new boy,
0:14:48 > 0:14:52'Leo gets a head start and some advice on the best route.'
0:14:52 > 0:14:57When you sweat in a place like this, the sweat evaporates really quickly.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59You need more water.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03Leo only has one litre for 15km.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07As a reward, there's some Fierce Earth drinks at the finish line,
0:15:07 > 0:15:10and in case of an emergency there's a paramedic on standby.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14OK. I've got a 15-minute head start, better make it count.
0:15:17 > 0:15:1915km across the driest land in the world.
0:15:20 > 0:15:25That's like walking the length of 160 football pitches.
0:15:27 > 0:15:28I've only travelled 300 metres
0:15:28 > 0:15:31but I can already see how tough this is going to be.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35Normally, you'd need about 10 litres of water to travel this far.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38I've got just one to get me to the end,
0:15:38 > 0:15:41and now Antonio is in hot pursuit.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46Antonio knows this place like the back of his hand,
0:15:46 > 0:15:48but I'm only 45 minutes into the trek
0:15:48 > 0:15:51and I'm really struggling to navigate.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54There's so few identifying landmarks,
0:15:54 > 0:15:57like hills or woods or rivers...
0:16:00 > 0:16:04..so to figure out where you are you have to count your paces
0:16:04 > 0:16:07and know how many paces it takes to do a kilometre.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13I've counted my paces out, but I'm still getting lost.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17And if I really were to lose my way in this desert
0:16:17 > 0:16:19and I only had one litre of water,
0:16:19 > 0:16:22I probably wouldn't survive for more than 24 hours.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26That's how quickly things can become life-threatening here.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30OK, I wonder how Antonio is doing.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33I'm back on track, but that is one fast Chilean.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37Travelling at over 5 kmph, he's gaining on me.
0:16:40 > 0:16:431,000 metres to Leo. I need catch.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48The next level to the speed I catch very fast to Leo. Bye-bye.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54Antonio is trained in wilderness survival
0:16:54 > 0:16:56and he's eating the ground up.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00What could I, and you, learn from him about staying alive out here?
0:17:00 > 0:17:04Here's Antonio's Atacama survival guide.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07For a start, he wouldn't be walking now.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11We've set this test up during the day so you can see what's going on.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13But the best time to march is at night.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17It's much cooler and you don't lose as much liquid from sweating.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21The second survival tip is to carry all the water you need.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23You'll never find a natural water source
0:17:23 > 0:17:25in the driest place in the world.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28On a training mission, Antonio would be carrying
0:17:28 > 0:17:31almost half his body weight in water!
0:17:31 > 0:17:33That's about 40 litres!
0:17:33 > 0:17:36The final survival tip would be to walk with a hat on
0:17:36 > 0:17:38and your mouth shut.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41Breathing through your nose loses less water,
0:17:41 > 0:17:45and exposing your head makes your body work hard to stay cool.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53Back to the race, and I've travelled 11km in three hours.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58But I've run out of water. That's bad news
0:17:58 > 0:18:01and means I've got just an hour before serious dehydration
0:18:01 > 0:18:03and heat exhaustion set in.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07OK. Three-and-a-half kilometres to go. I've run out of water.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09My throat's quite tight.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11It's hard to swallow.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13I feel pretty rough. Ohh...
0:18:13 > 0:18:16'After three-and-a-half hours, the torture's almost over.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18'I can see the finish line.'
0:18:19 > 0:18:21But here comes Antonio.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26He's not far ahead. I've got to catch him.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31400 metres to go. One last push!
0:18:33 > 0:18:3615km across the driest place on the planet.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40It was a tough challenge, but they are almost neck and neck.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46Come on, Leo.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48Come on, Leo!
0:18:48 > 0:18:50Come on, Leo! Brilliant!
0:18:50 > 0:18:53It's neck and neck!
0:18:55 > 0:18:57Pipped at the post by Antonio.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01Antonio, you won!
0:19:01 > 0:19:05Time to rehydrate and get checked out by the paramedic.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11It's so dry out here.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13There's no water. You need water to survive.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16Everything does. It's a hostile place.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19Can we go home now?
0:19:21 > 0:19:25As we've seen, finding water out here is nearly impossible,
0:19:25 > 0:19:27but in another part of the Atacama
0:19:27 > 0:19:30a group of people have found a way to do it.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34This area gets barely any rain.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37But what it gets a lot of is this - fog.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41The fog comes from the Pacific Ocean and drifts inland.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43I've got something here to show you how fog
0:19:43 > 0:19:45is formed in the first place.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49When you think of the word "desert", you think of a hot place,
0:19:49 > 0:19:51but the Atacama at night is cold,
0:19:51 > 0:19:54as is the air around the coast.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58So, if the water here represents the air warmed by the Pacific Ocean,
0:19:58 > 0:20:03and then this ice represents the cold air at night
0:20:03 > 0:20:06and during the early morning,
0:20:06 > 0:20:11see what happens as these two interact.
0:20:11 > 0:20:16It starts evaporating and then condensating.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19And that's exactly what happens out to sea -
0:20:19 > 0:20:22the cold air and hot air interact and condense.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25And there you have it - fog.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30The only trouble is the fog hardly ever falls as rain.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34It rolls over the land and, when the sun shines, it disappears again.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36But, believe it or not,
0:20:36 > 0:20:39these nets can catch the water before it vanishes into thin air.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42The inspiration and design for the nets
0:20:42 > 0:20:45comes from moss on these cacti.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49You can see this moss captures the tiny little water particles
0:20:49 > 0:20:51and it feeds the whole plant.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56These nets are like massive versions of the cacti and moss.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58The fog climbs up the hillsides
0:20:58 > 0:21:03and then these huge nets catch the tiny little water droplets,
0:21:03 > 0:21:07and then the water droplets become bigger as these nets rub together.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09And then gravity takes over, the drops becomes heavier
0:21:09 > 0:21:11and fall into this pipe,
0:21:11 > 0:21:15and then roll down the mountainside into these big tanks.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17We're not talking about a few drops. either.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21These nets can catch about 500 litres a day!
0:21:21 > 0:21:24That would be enough water for you to take 43 baths every week!
0:21:25 > 0:21:28It's really clever, yet so simple.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31Pipes transport the water down into the valley,
0:21:31 > 0:21:32and once there
0:21:32 > 0:21:36it's used by people in the local town to grow these aloe vera plants.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39You can make a nice salad out of them
0:21:39 > 0:21:42and even use them in sun tan cream!
0:21:42 > 0:21:45Now, what I want to know is, we saw some water from up there
0:21:45 > 0:21:47going through the pipes. Can you switch it on?
0:21:47 > 0:21:49- Si.- Excellent.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52For the driest place on the planet,
0:21:52 > 0:21:54it's a miracle, really, that this can happen.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57Without this simple technology,
0:21:57 > 0:22:01the locals could never grow these crops.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03And there's enough water in those tanks
0:22:03 > 0:22:05to make you 13,000 cups of tea!
0:22:07 > 0:22:10So, should there be more fog-catchers like yourself?
0:22:12 > 0:22:16- TRANSLATION:- Definitely. The Atacama needs more fog-catchers.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18We want to show other people how these nets work
0:22:18 > 0:22:21and how they can change other people's lives.
0:22:22 > 0:22:27This place is special. It shows it is possible to create life
0:22:27 > 0:22:30in other parts of the dead and dry Atacama.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32Let's hope it catches on.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34People have cleverly tapped into an almost invisible
0:22:34 > 0:22:38source of water in the driest place on the planet.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44Look at this dry, empty place. It's almost like another planet.
0:22:44 > 0:22:49But there is one thing about this barren land that is VERY special.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55The air is so dry you hardly ever see any clouds,
0:22:55 > 0:22:58and that's what makes the Atacama the best place in the world
0:22:58 > 0:23:00to see the stars.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03That's why, high on a mountain,
0:23:03 > 0:23:05deep in the Atacama Desert,
0:23:05 > 0:23:07you can find Paranal Observatory.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13All of this special technology looks deep into space
0:23:13 > 0:23:17and it's been brought to this remote area because it's so dry.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20These are the most advanced telescopes in the world.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23When it darkens, like a giant eye,
0:23:23 > 0:23:25they're going to open up.
0:23:26 > 0:23:31Telescopes are very important and these even have a great name - VLT.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34Stands for "very large telescope".
0:23:35 > 0:23:38And they allow us to look deeper
0:23:38 > 0:23:40into the universe than anybody ever has.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44Telescopes work by looking for the light that comes
0:23:44 > 0:23:46from stars and planets in space.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49To be able to see the stars and planets properly,
0:23:49 > 0:23:52that light needs to be travelling in a straight line.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55But the problem with having any moisture in the air
0:23:55 > 0:23:58is that light is bent, which causes a distorted image.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00I know all this sounds confusing,
0:24:00 > 0:24:02but I'll show you what I'm talking about.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Look at this, a spoon in a glass. Looks pretty normal, doesn't it?
0:24:05 > 0:24:08Watch what happens when I pour water inside.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Strange, isn't it? The spoon almost looks broken.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19The light hitting the spoon is being bent, or refracted, by the water.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22This happens anyway when light hits our atmosphere,
0:24:22 > 0:24:26but the effect is reduced in the dry Atacama.
0:24:26 > 0:24:27This is a great example of why
0:24:27 > 0:24:30we don't want to have moisture in the atmosphere
0:24:30 > 0:24:34and why the telescopes are here, where it's really dry.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39Let's meet someone who uses the telescopes. This is Gabe.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42He's an astronomer who loves the dry air
0:24:42 > 0:24:44and clear skies here.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47We're lucky to see him in the light
0:24:47 > 0:24:51as he spends the long, dark Atacama nights exploring space.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53Well, let me ask you,
0:24:53 > 0:24:55having this view on top of the world,
0:24:55 > 0:24:58do you feel like a space explorer sometimes up here?
0:24:58 > 0:24:59It's very exciting.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03At night, we're observing many different interesting things -
0:25:03 > 0:25:05stars, very distant galaxies,
0:25:05 > 0:25:08but just being here, you feel like you're on the surface of Mars.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12You feel that while you're here
0:25:12 > 0:25:15at the same time while you might be observing Mars through a telescope.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18It does look like another world out there.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21With the sun setting, it's time for Gabe
0:25:21 > 0:25:25and an army of astronomers to start exploring the universe.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31But first, the telescopes have got to open up,
0:25:31 > 0:25:33and I've got a ring-side seat.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36I've got to say, I'm starting to get butterflies.
0:25:36 > 0:25:37I'm really anxious to see this.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41Once open, these telescopes are so powerful
0:25:41 > 0:25:44they will allow you to read a newspaper on the moon!
0:25:44 > 0:25:46So now the doors are opening
0:25:46 > 0:25:48and they're basically retracting, like this,
0:25:48 > 0:25:52and it's going to get a view of that nice, dry sky.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57So the telescope is completely set up and ready to go
0:25:57 > 0:26:00for a long night of exploring outer space.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05Working in the Atacama's super-dry environment,
0:26:05 > 0:26:08these telescopes are four billion times more powerful
0:26:08 > 0:26:11than the naked eye,
0:26:11 > 0:26:14and they're used to discover planets and stars never seen before.
0:26:14 > 0:26:19In a place like the UK, you can never see the stars so clearly.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21Clouds would block the view of the telescopes
0:26:21 > 0:26:24and moisture would blur the pictures of stars.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26Now that it's dark out,
0:26:26 > 0:26:29I can see why these are the clearest skies on Earth.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32Just look at it - tens of thousands of stars twinkling in the sky.
0:26:32 > 0:26:33It's beautiful.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37The bright streak you can see in the sky is the Milky Way,
0:26:37 > 0:26:39and the light from the stars has travelled
0:26:39 > 0:26:42thousands of light years across space.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46The astronomers may one day discover a planet just like Earth,
0:26:46 > 0:26:48and who knows?
0:26:48 > 0:26:49When we're looking at them,
0:26:49 > 0:26:52they may be looking right back at us.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00Our journey through the world's driest place is now complete,
0:27:00 > 0:27:02and it's been epic.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07We found out about the powerful forces of cold ocean currents,
0:27:07 > 0:27:12high mountain barriers and warm, falling air that block the rain out.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16I learnt the survival skills you need
0:27:16 > 0:27:18to travel across the desert on foot.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23And Mike saw how the world's most powerful telescopes
0:27:23 > 0:27:26look through the clearest and driest skies on Earth.
0:27:26 > 0:27:33Next time on Fierce Earth - get ready for the heavens to open.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35It's pouring it down!
0:27:35 > 0:27:38Because we're on a soaking journey
0:27:38 > 0:27:41to the rainiest place on the planet.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43- It's going to be wet.- And wild.