--- title: "Missing Astronomer Found Dead Near Space Telescope in Chile" description: "  The body of British astronomer Thomas Marsh, who went missing in September, has been found by Chilean police last Thursday. Marsh, a 60 year-old-professor from the University of Warwick, was working at La Silla Observatory just outside the Atacama desert in Coquimbo, Chile. The search, which began soon after Marsh went missing on September […]" date: "2022-11-17" modified: "2022-11-17" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/missing-astronomer-found-dead-observatory" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "astronomer" - "La Silla Observatory" - "the digest" --- # Missing Astronomer Found Dead Near Space Telescope in Chile ![British astronomer Thomas Marsh went missing while visiting La Silla Observatory in Chile. 55 days later, his body has finally been found.]() *\Image: Cédric Foellmi/Futurism\* ## Morbid Discovery The body of British astronomer Thomas Marsh, who went missing in September, has been found by Chilean police. Marsh, a 60 year-old-professor at the University of Warwick, was working at La Silla Observatory just outside the Atacama desert in Coquimbo, Chile. The search, which began soon after Marsh went missing in mid-September, was extended after Marsh's clothing and cellphone were found nearby. Some 55 days after he first went missing, authorities located Marsh's body, which was undressed from the waist up, "in the vicinity" of the observatory, [*El Pais* reports](). "After an intense search by the Carabineros' multidisciplinary team, Gope (a specialized unit) found the lifeless body of the astronomer missing since September 16," the police agency wrote in a [tweet](), translated by *El Pais*. "We lament giving this sad news and extend our condolences to his family and friends." ## Strange Circumstances As of now, no cause of death has been reported, and it remains unclear what happened during Marsh's final hours. One of the investigation's main theories is that Marsh had simply gone out for a trek and soon became lost. The British astronomer was originally visiting La Silla observatory, operated by the European Space Observatory and home of the advanced New Technology Telescope, for four days. According to one of his colleagues, Marsh knew "the terrain very well," as quoted by *El Pais*. In fact, Marsh had worked and taught there many times before. A British student who traveled with Marsh to the observatory has become a key witness in the mystery. According to [testimony]() he gave to the police, Marsh, on the day before he disappeared, told the student "something super strange" and berated him for his lack of commitment. ## Remember the Man University of Warwick provost Chris Ennew said in a [statement]() that the discovery of Marsh's body was "deeply distressing news for Tom's family." "I know what a terrible time this is for the colleagues who knew Tom and counted him as a close friend as well as an inspirational academic and mentor," she said. Hopefully, investigators will be able to determine exactly what happened to provide some closure to Marsh's family and friends. **More on telescopes:** [*Hackers Just Took Down One of the World's Most Advanced Telescopes*]() ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()