Found Deceased Chile - Tom Marsh 60, Uk National, University Professor missing from a research trip, 16 September 2022

[acutename]

ESO - La Silla Paranal Observatory

ESO is the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere. It operates the La Silla Paranal Observatory in Chile and has its headquarters in Garching, near Munich, Germany.

www.eso.org

This is a different location. There are those of us who can get confused by the differing locations so precision does help the rest of us or confusion can set in, thank you.

European Southern Observatory (ESO)

European Southern Observatory (ESO), astrophysical organization founded in 1962. Its activities are financially supported and administered by a consortium of 14 European countries—Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands...

www.britannica.com

sorry but the LaSilla site has a lot of different sections and some of them refer back to the Chile area even though they are accessed through a different url- there are FAQs, info for visitors and info for journalist visitors and if you read them all, you get different bits of information. the blog on the site used to say "No visitors in October" because of the professor's disappearance but it now has no October 2022 entry. Not sure if they resumed in November. The visitor section now has the info about the "no visits" situation Weekend Visits to the La Silla Observatory

 

[acutename]

Unique landscapes in Chile, the Atacama Desert

Did you know the Atacama Desert is the driest non-polar desert of the world? It is even dryer than the Sahara Desert! It is in the north of Chile, and it extends for nearly 105.000 Km2. A unique characteristic of the Atacama Desert is that it used to be part of the Pacific Ocean seabed, which...

www.itinari.com

This article is from 2019 and in the context of this article the last blooming of those lovely flowers was in 2017. I wonder since these flowers bloom in September and Tom was at La Silla in September I wonder if its possible he thought he could get a view of this. Although it has to occur when he is visiting, Al Nina has to be occuring in September in order for the flowers to bloom as well so the combination has to happen at the right time. I wonder if it happened this year in September 2022?

If you google Atacama flowers 2022, they are blooming again, even more extensively than last year (rare)
The Atacama Desert Is In Full Bloom (PHOTOS) | The Weather Channel

and it is a big phenomenon. Chile is designating a new national park to protect them. Could mean a lot more wildlife and people around than usual.

 

[WingsOverTX]

Tom has posted a pic of a plant from Chile on his fb From previous visits, although I think he was after a pic of a viscacha (Like a rabbit) which I think are quite hard to get a shot of. Perhaps this is a possibilly, he wondered off the trail chasing this and something unfortunate happened. Not the first time I’ve heard this, didn’t Paul Miller wonder off the palm oasis trail in California trying to take pics of sheep only to be found deceased months later.

At night?

AFAIK, there are no reported sightings of him after the reportedly odd interaction with the grad student after dinner on 9/15 as they were returning to their hotel rooms. It is that incident which is the beginning of this mysterious disappearance.

Of course, we know so little about what the investigation has found, you could be right.

The delay until he was 1st reported missing the afternoon of 9/16 (after missing breakfast & lunch then being a no-show at an observatory appointment) is still very concerning & odd to me.

The British police are involved. I don't think his disappearance is seen as recreational. I think it involves a mental or physical health problem. I hope it's not something more nefarious.

I also fear we may never know. I wonder what Tom's family thinks happened? His hometown LE didn't make that long & exhausting trip to La Silla without cause of some kind.

MOO

 

[Hexe]

La Higuera, Chile - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The area around La Silaa appears to be quite rural. The population is very small, but apparently there are vineyards in the La Higuera area.

Familia de Tom Marsh llega a Chile para supervisar búsqueda: se extenderá hasta el 15 de noviembre

Durante este fin de semana se levantó el campamento de Bomberos que estaba participando en la investigación para dar con el paradero del científico Thomas Marsh, quien se cree que se perdió en el camino que comunica el Observatorio La Silla con Punta Colorada.

www.diarioeldia.cl

I don't see why there can't be sheepfolds here as well if there are small vinyards here. Some places like Santa Maria have nice accommodations so its not entirelt rural,
https://higuera.cl/home/ In Santa Maria they grow all kinds of fruit.

La Higuera and Santa Maria are in the coastal area, which is far less dry than Atacama and allows some farming. La Silla, on the other way, is over a hundred kilometers away to the east from these spots, in the middle of the Atacama Desert, one of the driest spots on this planet. There is no farming around La Silla, because THERE CANNOT BE. THERE IS NO WATER.

What you are now doing is like assuming there are farms in the Death Valley, California, because there is a nice vegetation in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Believe me, there are no farms for miles and miles around La Silla.

 

[TLobo]

Chilean authorities find body of missing British astronomer

Chilean authorities on Thursday said they found the body of a British astronomer who went missing in mid-September at an observatory in the north of the country, where he had arrived for a scientific research visit.

www.reuters.com

RIP Tom. Found, deceased, no cause of death reported.

Article is in English, which is a relief. I'll go read through the Spanish language articles to see if there's any more information provided.

ETA, no further information in the Spanish language articles.

 

[moonriverfarm]

Where was his body found?

 

[jopo]

A little more information in here but still no COD:

Body found in search for University of Warwick professor

RIP Tom

 

[TLobo]

Where was his body found?

About 3 miles away from the observatory, in the desert.

 

[WingsOverTX]

Chilean authorities find body of missing British astronomer

Chilean authorities on Thursday said they found the body of a British astronomer who went missing in mid-September at an observatory in the north of the country, where he had arrived for a scientific research visit.

www.reuters.com

RIP Tom. Found, deceased, no cause of death reported.

Article is in English, which is a relief. I'll go read through the Spanish language articles to see if there's any more information provided.

ETA, no further information in the Spanish language articles.

Such sad news. That was a far wander into unforgiving terrain. I applaud the Chilean searchers for persevering.

My condolences to his family, friends & colleagues. Scientific exploration is diminished without his continuing contributions.

RIP, Tom.

 

[YaYa_521]

Rest in peace, Tom.

 

[tesni]

Body found in search for University of Warwick professor

The body of astronomer Tom Marsh was found two months after his disappearance, police say.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Bethan]

Rest in Peace Professor Marsh.

I am relieved for family, friends & colleagues that he has been found. All credit to the agencies who continued the search, despite it being a recovery, rather than rescue, mission at this point.

 

[jbc]

Chilean authorities find body of missing British astronomer

Chilean authorities on Thursday said they found the body of a British astronomer who went missing in mid-September at an observatory in the north of the country, where he had arrived for a scientific research visit.

www.reuters.com

RIP Tom. Found, deceased, no cause of death reported.

Article is in English, which is a relief. I'll go read through the Spanish language articles to see if there's any more information provided.

ETA, no further information in the Spanish language articles.

Darn. I was really hoping for a better outcome.
RIP dear Professor.

 

[annpats]

Darn. I was really hoping for a better outcome.

I wasn't. Sadly, if you're missing more than a few days in that climate, it'll rarely be a good outcome.
But, at least he has been found. His family have a body for burial and they also have closure.
Well done to the search personnel involved.

 

[acutename]

I wasn't. Sadly, if you're missing more than a few days in that climate, it'll rarely be a good outcome.
But, at least he has been found. His family have a body for burial and they also have closure.
Well done to the search personnel involved.

I am glad that there was no foul play; that he can have a proper burial and, it sounds like a cliche, but he died doing what he devoted his professional life to -

 

[annpats]

I am glad that there was no foul play; that he can have a proper burial and, it sounds like a cliche, but he died doing what he devoted his professional life to -

Absolutely! I wholeheartedly agree.
RIP Professor Tom Marsh.

 

[realanastasia]

I'm sorry that this is the sad outcome, but I hope his wife and daughter take some comfort in the fact that they were in Chile when his remains were discovered. Like others said, he died while pursuing something he was passionate about and his professional legacy will be carried on through the young astronomers he trained at the University of Warwick.

 

[dotr]

RIP Prof. Marsh.

starry night in chili animated gif - Google Search

https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/astronomy-pictures-largest-3d-map-universe-stellar-intruder/

 

[WingsOverTX]

I am glad that there was no foul play; that he can have a proper burial and, it sounds like a cliche, but he died doing what he devoted his professional life to -

Did a source confirm "no foul play"? Due to distance from LA Silla, that would make sense but I haven't seen any info about cause or manner of death.
TIA

 

[TootsieFootsie]

What an amazing night sky!

Rest in Peace, amongst the stars Tom Marsh.