Weird and wonderful: the Atacama Desert has a Martian aspect.
Chile’s Atacama Desert is the driest place on Earth. It receives less than 1mm of rain each year. As a result, it is almost entirely without greenery, shade, cities or pollution. For landscape photographers the setting is inspiring, with wind-sculpted canyons and salt lakes providing a backdrop that not only looks Martian but is actually used to test Mars rovers in simulations. Atacama is also one of the world’s foremost stargazing centres, with three major international observatories taking advantage of its clean air and huge night skies.